Luminant Miami Fort Station recently utilized the innovative technology in the Fluke ii900 Sonic Industrial Imager to evaluate an air leakage 
on boiler exhaust ductwork. Leakage was suspected in the exhaust ductwork due to operational issues we were experiencing with the unit. However, identifying the leakage was very difficult due to the size, access, and elevation of the ductwork. In addition, the unit is covered in sheet metal lagging, thus visual identification of leaks was not possible. Upon inspection with the Fluke ii900, a large leak was identified approximately 60 feet above grade.
Approximately two weeks after identifying this leak, the unit had to be removed from service for an unplanned outage due to excessive leaks in this ductwork. Once the unit was removed from service we could safely enter this duct to inspect the area in which the Fluke ii900 identified the leak. The inspection revealed a large hole in the duct (approximately 8’ x 2’). The precise location of the leak directly aligned with the location identified by the Fluke ii900. The hole was repaired during the unplanned outage and follow-up inspections with the Fluke ii900 indicated that the leak was no longer present.
The use of the Fluke ii900 allowed Luminant to pinpoint the location of the leak without extensive inspections or exploratory sheet metal removal. The use of the tool saved the station in operations and maintenance cost and significantly reduced production downtime. The demonstration of the tool also proved valuable in identifying many other types of leaks throughout the plant including steam leaks, compressed air leaks, condenser vacuum leaks, and other pressured ductwork leaks. The imager is simple to use and works very well in an industrial environment with surrounding ambient noises.
Contact us today to schedule a time for your CBT Account Manager to perform an on-site demonstration of the Fluke ii900 Sonic Industrial Imager at your facility.
