METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CARRYING OUT THE IN SITU INSPECTION OF THE SHAFTS OF PUMPS

• Main Authors: TUNG; JAMES C. S, SMITH; THURMAN D, OATES; JAMES H
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.01.1992
• Subjects: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR REACTORS; PHYSICS; TESTING

Method and apparatus for carrying out the in situ inspection of the shaft of a pump. A spacer coupling or link is manually removed from a limited access area intermediate the pump drive and top of the pump shaft. Inspection then is carried out through a previously formed inspection bore extending concentrically along the interior of the shaft. A probe supported by an extension assembly is lowered into the inspection bore until characterizable portions of the shaft such as a labyrinth seal region are identified. A discrete small region of interest which will initially evidence any fault condition then is surveyed with a raster scan movement of the inspection probe. Lower components of the region of interest are also identified by a next adjacent characterizable region such as a fillet welding for a journal assembly. Because of the limited longitudinal extent of the region of interest, the raster type movement of the probe becomes available. A calibration mock-up of the shaft is employed to provide ultrasonic signal readout information to apprise the operator of the presence of characterizable regions and the effectiveness of inspection transducer operation.