Video Inspection of Lattice Tube Rolled Joint Area With Structured Lighting for Enhanced Surface Profiling

Abstract

Retube Tubesheet Bore Dressing is a series of operations being performed by the Bruce Retube Project between calandria tube removal and installation of the new calandria tubes. Specialized remotely-operated tooling has been designed and developed to perform the task to ensure proper tubesheet bore conditions prior to making the new calandria tube rolled joint. A key part of the tool is the video inspection module. During operation, the module scans the area to ensure proper tool location and to assess surface condition. The tool may then be used to perform either rotary brushing or milling to improve the groove profile. Following dressing, the system re-inspects the bore to verify the operation. The tool may also perform a video inspection of the inboard section of the lattice tube and verify the condition of the inboard bearing. In order to enhance the operator’s ability to evaluate the machined surface, structured lighting has been used, consisting of an axially projected laser light stripe. This was included in the design to better define the surface profile during scanning. Surface inspection images are shown to demonstrate the performance of the unit. By analysing a series of captured images from the surface scan, both a surface profile and diametral measurements of the tubesheet bore can be calculated, extending the technique from a qualitative to a quantitative method.