Checking the Gearbox of a Wind Turbine with a Videoscope: Talk of the Town

By Anshula Mandaokar , 27 December, 2022

The gearboxes of wind turbines are small, so the inspection equipment must be reliable despite its limited size. The IPLEXTM G Lite-W videoscope was made with these difficulties in mind; it is compact and lightweight while still packing a punch when it comes to imaging capabilities. Users may visually inspect the inner workings of the gearbox of a wind turbine without having to take the gearbox apart, preventing potential problems from causing costly downtime. Non-destructive testing equipment, X-ray analysers, and microscopes are just a few examples of the maintenance, manufacturing, and environmental applications served by Evident Industrial's suite of products. Evident products, which are supported by cutting-edge technology, are widely employed in a variety of inspection, measurement, and quality assurance applications.

Lubricating oil, which is typically found in the gears of wind turbines, has the potential to adhere to the lens of the videoscope, which would obstruct the view. The oil-clearing tip adaptor that comes with the IPLEX G Lite-W videoscope has channels that employ capillary action to remove oil away from the lens, which keeps the images from becoming cloudy.

To reduce the probability that an inspection would result in damage, the IPLEX G Lite-W videoscope has been produced according to the specifications outlined by the United States Department of Defense. It has also been developed to comply with IP65 standards. When working in tight spaces, the strong articulation mechanism of the insertion tube helps protect the scope from damage.

The optics of the videoscope find a happy medium between the requirements of zooming in on minuscule features like bearings and gear teeth and sweeping across large areas in search of faults. This allows the videoscope to perform both functions effectively. The semi-flexible guide tube makes it simple to put the videoscope in the ideal viewing position, and the LED guide tube, which is an optional addition, illuminates vast, dark regions, making it simpler to see flaws in the object being viewed through the videoscope. The 4-millimetre scope can be operated with one hand and moved across restricted areas with ease.

It is possible to move the lightweight IPLEX G Lite-W videoscope, which weighs only 1.16 kilograms, to the nacelle at the top of a wind tower safely. Because of the intuitive layout of its controls, it can be operated with ease even when the user is clad in gloves and working in a restricted location. When an examination is finished, all that is required to return the scope's smooth, oil-resistant covering to its perfect condition is a simple cleaning with little soap and water.

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