Case Study: 3D Scanning of a Large Steam Turbine

Release time：2024-07-03 Views：1808

A major, well-known domestic thermal power plant commissioned our technical team to perform 3D scanning on the casing of an ultra-large steam turbine. By capturing high-precision 3D data, we provided the necessary data support for the design and manufacturing of the turbine's thermal insulation enclosure.

Facing problems

1. The steam turbine casing is a welded assembly of large castings, measuring approximately 5 meters in length and 2 meters in height. The complex scanning environment adds to the difficulty; traditional measurement tools are time-consuming and fail to achieve complete scanning or effective data stitching.

2. During the scanning process, the large, heavy, and complex nature of the casing—characterized by irregular surface contours—leads to excessive cumulative errors. Mitigating the impact of these errors is the primary challenge.

Solution

Scanning the steam turbine casing—a large-surface-area component—was carried out in two sections. To address challenges such as cumulative scanning errors and the need for seamless data stitching, HOLON 3D engineers proposed a solution: utilizing the α7000 ultra-large-format 3D scanner alongside the 3DP 3D photogrammetry system. This approach rapidly captured high-precision 3D data of the casing, which was then converted from point cloud data into triangular mesh surface data using reverse engineering software, providing robust data for the design and manufacture of the steam turbine's thermal insulation enclosure.

The 3DP system is a portable optical coordinate measuring device capable of simultaneously determining the 3D coordinates of all target points (or coded markers). It can operate independently or in conjunction with a 3D scanner. During measurement, high-resolution digital cameras capture images of the object from various angles; subsequent software processing calculates the precise spatial coordinates of these reference points.

The α7000 is a 3D scanner specifically designed for large-scale objects, featuring an ultra-large scanning field, high scanning speed, high precision, and exceptional equipment stability. When used alongside 3D photogrammetry, it enables the correction of point cloud data for large curved surfaces, significantly enhancing overall point cloud stitching accuracy and operational efficiency.

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