METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THERMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

A method for thermographic analysis of a heat exchanger having at least a primary and a secondary fluid path and a system to perform the analysis. The method includes: heating and cooling of the heat exchanger in a heat exchanger cycle by passing fluid through the heat exchanger fluid paths; capturing a thermographic image of at least a portion of the heat exchanger; analysing the thermographic image; and determining a status of the heat exchanger based on the analysis of the image.

Claims

1. A method for thermographic analysis of a heat exchanger having at least a primary and a secondary fluid path, the method comprising: heating and cooling of the heat exchanger in a heat exchanger cycle by passing fluid through the heat exchanger fluid paths; capturing a thermographic image of at least a portion of the heat exchanger; analysing the thermographic image; and determining a status of the heat exchanger based on the analysis of the image.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining a status of the heat exchanger includes comparing at least one feature of the captured thermographic image with a library of defects to classify the at least one feature of the thermographic image based on that comparison.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising updating the library based on the captured thermographic image.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein analysis of the thermographic image includes identification of a region of interest of the image, wherein the region of interest includes an anomalous thermal feature.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein analysis of the thermographic image includes determination of at least one characteristic of at least one anomalous thermal feature of the captured thermographic image.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein heating and cooling of the heat exchanger comprises accelerated life testing of the heat exchanger in a test rig configured for that purpose.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein heating and cooling of the heat exchanger comprises using a heating and cooling cycle that occurs during normal use of the heat exchanger for its intended purpose.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the captured thermographic image is a first thermographic image, the method further comprising; capturing a second thermographic image of at least a portion of the heat exchanger; analysing the second thermographic image; and determining an updated status of the heat exchanger based on the analysis of the second thermographic image and the determined status of the heat exchanger based on the analysis of the first image.

9. A system for thermographic analysis of a heat exchanger having at least a primary and a secondary fluid path, the system comprising: a source of fluid; a connection for connecting the source of fluid to the heat exchanger such that the fluid may flow through the heat exchanger; an imaging device for capturing a thermographic image of at least a portion of the heat exchanger; and a data processor for analysing the thermographic image and for determining a status of the heat exchanger based on the thermographic image.

10. The system as claimed in claim 8, comprising a database storing a library of defects for comparing against an anomalous thermal feature of a captured thermographic image for classification of that features.

11. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the data processor is configured to: cause the source of fluid to provide fluid to the heat exchanger to heat and cool the heat exchanger in a heat exchanger cycle by passing fluid through the heat exchanger fluid paths; cause the imaging device to capture a thermographic image of at least a portion of the heat exchanger; analyse the thermographic image; and determine the status of the heat exchanger based on the analysis of the image

12. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed on a system for thermographic analysis of a heat exchanger will cause the system to: capture a thermographic image of at least a portion of the heat exchanger; analyse the thermographic image; and determine a status of the heat exchanger based on the analysis of the image.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a schematic of a system for thermographic testing;

[0050] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an exemplary heat exchanger;

[0051] FIG. 3 shows another schematic of a system for thermographic testing;

[0052] FIG. 4 shows another schematic of a system for thermographic testing;

[0053] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary thermographic image; and

[0054] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart describing an exemplary thermographic analysis method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] A system for conducting thermographic analysis of a heat exchanger 100 to be analysed is shown in FIG. 1. The system comprises a thermal imaging device 200, and a fluid source 300. The thermal imaging device 200 is an active infrared camera 200 configured to detect radiation in the infrared (IR) range (i.e. between 700 nanometres to 1 millimetre). The camera 200 is directed at the heat exchanger 100 and is positioned so that its field of view encompasses at least a portion of the heat exchanger 100.

[0056] The fluid source 300 and may be a source of heated, pressurised fluid that connects to the heat exchanger such that fluid flows through the heat exchanger 100. The fluid source 300 may provide multiple fluids at differing temperatures and/or with differing physical characteristics. The fluid source 300 is provided such that energy in the form of heat is transferred from (or to) the fluid source 300 to (or from) the heat exchanger 100 via flow of fluid(s) from the fluid source 300 through one or more of the heat exchanger fluid flow paths. The flow of fluid may be provided in cycles or for sustained continuous periods. The heat exchanger 100 is positioned so as to either receive energy from the fluid source 300 in the form of heat, or to donate energy to the fluid source 300 in the form of heat, via the fluid flow(s). The fluid source 300 may therefore be either a cooling mechanism provided such that it cools the heat exchanger 100, or a heating mechanism provided such that it heats the heat exchanger 100.

[0057] Regardless of whether the fluid source 300 has a heating or a cooling effect, the heat exchanger 100 emits energy in the form of infrared radiation 110. When the heat exchanger is not in operation, it emits IR radiation at the ambient temperature of its environment i.e. it is in thermal equilibrium with the environment. When the source 300 is providing fluid flowing through the heat exchanger 100, the thermal signature of the heat exchanger 100 will change from the thermal signature when the heat exchanger 100 is not in operation. FIG. 1 shows the case where the heat exchanger 100 has been heated by the source 300 and is emitting IR radiation 110. Only some of the infrared radiation 110 emitted from the heat exchanger 100 is shown, particularly that radiation 110 that propagates towards the camera 200. The camera 200 detects the IR radiation 110 and outputs via output 210 a thermographic image to a data processor, which forms part of a computer or computer network (not shown) that may further comprise a database for storing a library of defects.

[0058] The data processor is configured to receive the thermographic image from the camera 200 and analyse it according to desired methods. The analytical methods may be statistical and mathematical, as described before. The data processor may store the image for future reference, and/or may display it on a display.

[0059] When the heat exchanger 100 includes a defect 130 then this affects the distribution and spectrum of the emitted IR radiation 110, which hence differs compared to a healthy heat exchanger i.e. a heat exchanger without a defect. As may be seen in FIG. 1, the IR radiation 110 is not emitted at a uniform intensity across the surface of the heat exchanger, and instead has a higher intensity in the region near the defect 130. The defect 130 is therefore of a type that causes concentration of thermal energy in its proximity. Other defects may prevent thermal energy concentrating in their proximity by directing it elsewhere in the heat exchanger 100—e.g. a crack directing heated fluid in an anomalous direction. This relationship between the defect and the thermal spectrum of the heat exchanger 100 surface may depend on multiple factors, such as for example the internal geometry of the heat exchanger 100, its constituent materials, and the particular temperature(s) and/or pressure(s) of the fluid(s) from the fluid source 300.

[0060] The camera 200 detects and measures the emitted IR radiation 110 and captures a thermographic image, which is then transferred via the output 210 to the data processor. The data processor is arranged to perform a number of image pre-processing steps. For example, the data processor reduces noise in the image or enhances contrast and/or intensity differences. The data processor then partitions the image into regions of interest using statistical methods, thereby highlighting any e.g. hot spots, cold spot, or other thermal anomalies. In the case of FIG. 1, the data processor identifies a statistically significant hot spot in the central region of the heat exchanger.

[0061] In the next stage, the data processor isolates the region of interest and the relevant features therein (e.g. hot spots, cold spots, anomalies etc.). The data processor has already been provided with information concerning the type of heat exchanger and hence already has information about what a correctly functioning (i.e. healthy) heat exchanger should look like. The data processor then performs an analysis upon the thermal features to determine relevant characteristics thereof. The characteristics include the location of the region in the image and with relation to the heat exchanger, the shape of the region, and the intensity of the thermal features. The data processor may be supplied with information about the heat exchanger being tested before it receives the raw thermographic image from the camera 200 so as to better assess the presence of anomalies. The data processor may instead check for thermal features within (or outside) predetermined parameters.

[0062] The data processor is configured to then compare the determined characteristics to the library of known characteristics stored in the database. This comparison includes the use of statistical methods as described above to compare the features to known characteristics. The data processor then judges the nature of the defect 130 based on the results of the comparison. For example, when the analysis of the image determines a hot spot located in the centre of the heat exchanger 100 of a given intensity and approximately circular distribution, the data processor compares these characteristics to the database and determines the type of the defect 130.

[0063] Having made this determination, the data processor may provide estimates of the evolution of the defect based on the data read from the database. The defect 130 may be of a type that is known to evolve into a critical fault e.g. within several more weeks of use. Alternatively, the defect can be of a sort that will not develop further, or will not significantly affect the operation of the heat exchanger.

[0064] FIG. 2 shows an example of a heat exchanger 100. The heat exchanger 100 is formed by an additive layer manufacturing technique. It receives heated fluid 120 and is arranged to exchange heat with a cool fluid 140 which enters the heat exchanger 100 from a perpendicular direction to the heated fluid 120. The cool fluid 140 exits the heat exchanger 100 in the direction 150, having absorbed heat from the heated fluid 120. The heated fluid 120 leaves the heat exchanger 100 in the direction 160 having transferred heat to the cool fluid 140. The arrow 220 indicates the view of a camera 200 positioned according to the present disclosure. The fluids 120, 140 might be supplied from a fluid source 300 as discussed above (not shown in FIG. 2).

[0065] FIG. 3 shows a system for thermographic analysis of a heat exchanger. In the depicted case, the heat exchanger 100 includes multiple defects 130 and 132, which cause the emitted IR radiation 110 distribution to be different to that shown in FIG. 1. From the distribution of IR radiation 110 shown in FIG. 2, the camera 200 captures a raw thermographic image and transmits it to the data processor (not shown). The data processor analyses the image as described above and determines that two hot spots are present. Analysis of the hot spots and comparison with library data from the database indicates the nature of the defects 130 and 132.

[0066] FIG. 4 shows another schematic scenario in which a heat exchanger 100 receives only heated fluid 120 (i.e. does not receive a flow of cool fluid). The heat exchanger 100 has cracks that result in fluid leaks 152 flowing from the heat exchanger as the heat exchanger 100 is exposed to the fluid flow cycle. The camera 200 captures an image and transfers it to the data processor, which detects the leaks based on their thermal signatures via matching with data in the library.

[0067] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary thermographic image captured by the camera 200. The brighter regions are hotter than darker regions. A fluid flow 150 is evident at the right hand side of the image, and defects 130 and 134 are also evident in the left of the image. The defect 130 is a bright, hot feature, while the defect 134 is a darker, cooler feature. The fluid flow 150 is normal for the type of heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 2, and therefore when the data processor analyses the image, it does not consider this bright region to be anomalous. However, defects 130 and 134 are unexpected for the type of heat exchanger being tested, and the temperatures these defects exhibit lie outside expected ranges. The data processor therefore determines them to be relevant thermal features and analyses their characteristics using statistical methods.

[0068] When analysing, the data processor determines that the defects 130, 134 are in similar places in the image, and are of similar shape. For example, both defects 130, 134 are long and narrow, i.e. have major axes several times longer than their minor axes. However, defect 130 is a hot feature, whereas 134 is a cold feature. The data processor cross references the characteristics with known defects from the database and determines that they are both cracks.

[0069] Although both defects 130, 134 are similar in many ways, their difference in location in the image and hence on the heat exchanger allows the data processor to determine their nature based on their thermal signatures.

[0070] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the method of thermographic analysis. In step 610, a raw thermographic image of a heat exchanger is captured. The image then undergoes pre-processing in step 620 for example to remove noise and/or enhance the image characteristics. In step 630 the regions of interest of the image are determined, and in step 640 the thermal features of those regions are extracted from the image and analysed. In step 650 the features are classified, which may be done by comparing their characteristics to a database of known defect characteristics. In step 660, a decision regarding the thermal features is output.

[0071] By use of the above described method and system, NDT inspectors may be aided in identifying root cause analysis of in-service failures of heat exchangers. Automatic classification of thermal features removes human error based upon subjective decision making and allows for fully continual monitoring of the image data without the inconsistencies that would arise with continuous monitoring via a human operator. Thermographic analysis may be used to help validate and/or improve thermal prediction models and simulations. The method described above offers the potential for offline and online inspection of heat exchangers. Continuous monitoring during operational service can be achieved, as well as dedicated heat exchanger analysis as part of accelerated life testing. Data regarding defects gathered during accelerated life testing may be used to compile a library of defects, which may inform analysis of heat exchangers during in-service testing. Further, analysis of heat exchangers during in-service testing can be used to improve and update the library of defects, thereby constantly improving accuracy and usefulness of the system. Thermography analysis according to the present method allows the rate of degradation of a part to be accurately estimated. Further, little training is required for the technology and thermal images and classification results are intuitive.

[0072] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the skilled reader will appreciate that modifications may be made that fall within the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.