Remote Visual Inspection or Remote Digital Video Inspection, also known as RVI or RDVI, is a form of visual

inspection An inspection is, most generally, an organized examination or formal evaluation exercise. In engineering activities inspection involves the measurements, tests, and gauges applied to certain characteristics in regard to an object or activity. ...

which uses visual aids including

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

technology to allow an inspector to look at objects and materials from a distance because the objects are inaccessible or are in dangerous environments. Mix, Paul E. ''Introduction to Nondestructive Testing: A Training Guide''. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 2005. 576. Print. RVI is also a specialty branch of

nondestructive testing Nondestructive testing (NDT) is any of a wide group of analysis techniques used in science and technology industry to evaluate the properties of a material, component or system without causing damage. The terms nondestructive examination (NDE), n ...

(NDT).

Purposes

Technologies include, but not limited to, rigid or flexible borescopes, videoscopes,

fiberscope A fiberscope is a flexible optical fiber bundle with an eyepiece on one end and a lens on the other that is used to examine and inspect small, difficult-to-reach places such as the insides of machines, locks, and the human body. History Guid ...

s, push cameras, pan/tilt/zoom cameras and robotic crawlers. Remote are commonly used where distance, angle of view and limited lighting may impair direct visual examination or where access is limited by time, financial constraints or atmospheric hazards. RVI/RDVI is commonly used as a

predictive maintenance Predictive maintenance techniques are designed to help determine the condition of in-service equipment in order to estimate when maintenance should be performed. This approach promises cost savings over routine or time-based preventive maintenanc ...

or regularly scheduled maintenance tool to assess the "health" and operability of fixed and portable assets. RVI/RDVI enables greater inspection coverage, inspection repeatability and data comparison. The "remote" portion of RVI/RDVI refers to the characterization of the operator not entering the inspection area due to physical size constraints or potential safety issues related to the inspection environment.

Applications

Typical applications for RVI include: *

Aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years many ...

s (

turbofan The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...

turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...

turboshaft A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaftpower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the exhaust ...

) * Aircraft

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

* Turbines for power generation (

steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

and

gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

) * Process piping (oil and gas, pharmaceutical, food preparation) * Nuclear Power Stations - contaminated areas * Any areas where it is to dangerous, small or costly to view directly

References

{{reflist Nondestructive testing Maintenance Tests