Acoustic emission system for continuous monitoring

When a power plant is forced to temporarily cease the generation of electricity, even if for a relatively short period, huge monetary losses and great inconveniences may occur, hence, it must be avoided. To aid in the minimization of inert production time, the power generating equipment of the Araucaria Gas Power Plant must be monitored continuously during service. To satisfy this requirement, a project for the development of real time monitoring system was designed. The system was then developed, aiming at the evaluation of the structural integrity of the equipment during operation. It mainly focuses on the detection of damage mechanisms such as crack nucleation and growth, flow-accelerate corrosion (FAC), and steam leaks. The system was based on the principles of the nondestructive testing (NDT) method of acoustic emission (AE).