RVI of turbines and heat exchangers: which IPLEX you need

Why RVI when you already have vibration

Vibration tells you that a turbine or pump set has changed its behaviour. A videoscope answers a different question: what can you actually see inside the flow path, the combustor, the tube bundle, the header — without a full teardown.

At CHP plants, gas turbine units, compressor and process installations, remote visual inspection (RVI) shortens downtime and raises confidence before restart after a repair.

Model comparison is in the guide "Which IPLEX to choose". Below is the mapping to assets.

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Turbines and the hot gas path

Tasks: blades, nozzle assemblies, combustor, transition zones, foreign objects, signs of overheating or erosion.

Usually chosen:

• IPLEX One — a single platform, Swoptix, measurement, digital reporting;
• or IPLEX NX — if the flagship image quality / 3D is already familiar.

For routine "look and record a video" rounds, GX/GT or G Lite is often enough.

The key items in the specification: access port diameter and whether measurement is required (not just photos).

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Heat exchangers and tube bundles

Here length often matters more than a cinematic image.

• Short channels / headers — NX / One / GX.
• Long tubes and runs of 20–30 m — IPLEX GAir with pneumatic articulation.

A common procurement mistake: buying an NX "for everything" and then discovering you physically cannot reach the end of the bundle.

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Tight access and castings

Openings around 2 mm, small cavities, guides — this is IPLEX TX II territory (flexible ~2.2 mm / rigid ~1.8 mm).

A frequent scheme: TX II finds the zone of interest → a 4–6 mm system performs the detailed inspection and measurement.

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Mini matrix for your enquiry

Asset	Length	Access	Model
Turbine / combustor	2–10 m	4–8 mm	One / NX / GX
Long heat exchanger	20–30 m	~8.5 mm	GAir
Narrow opening	up to ~1.2 m	1.8–2.2 mm	TX II
Quick walkdown	2–5 m	standard	G Lite / GX

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How to build it into an outage

1. Before shutdown — a plan of RVI points (what must be seen).
2. During the outage — imaging plus measurement of critical defects.
3. In the report — the frame, insertion depth / position, verdict, recommendation.
4. After the repair — a repeat RVI of the control zones.

That is how IPLEX becomes part of the start-up procedure rather than "a camera for curiosity".

Catalogue — /products/endoscopes. Configuration selection — /proizvoditeli/olympus.