Skyriders scores full marks for NDT inspection at Eskom power stations

10th April 2018

     

Font size: - +

Rope-access specialist Skyriders has been honing its Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) expertise since 2002, having received the stamp-of-approval from Eskom to conduct this specialist service at its power-station fleet, including Kendal in Mpumalanga.

NDT forms part of a holistic Wear Failure System that Eskom has in place in terms of the maintenance and repair programme for its power-station fleet. This ranges from visual inspection through to ultrasonic wall-thickness measurement (UT) and dye-penetrant or magnetic particle testing, to name a few. “All of these inspection methods are aimed at determining the current condition and any defects with the various components,” Skyriders Marketing Manager Mike Zinn explains.

As the country’s only electricity utility, Eskom has rigorous processes and procedures with regard to repair and maintenance. While the bulk of its NDT services are provided by contractors using traditional scaffolding, Skyriders comes into its own as far as confined spaces and difficult-to-reach areas are concerned.

Due to the fact that the human eye cannot possibly detect all defects in a particular component, the bulk of Skyriders’ scope of work for Eskom is based on UT wall-thickness measurement and visual inspection, with dye penetrant and magnetic particle testing both a close second.

The importance of NDT for maintenance purposes is underlined by the fact that, if a power-station boiler experiences a tube rupture due to wear, it can cause extensive damage, which necessitate a shutdown for inspection and repair. This can translate into load losses for the national grid.

Skyriders offers a full suite of inspection services, from NDT to rope access. Its in-house expertise includes concrete repair, confined spaces, painting, bolting, rigging and welding,  general work-at-height and the use of collision tolerant drones. “Our technicians are not only qualified and highly skilled in rope access, but also have expertise in critical inspection methodologies such as NDT,” Zinn concludes.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

The functionality you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION