Systems and methods for non-intrusive inspections of high-voltage circuit breakers

1. A method for non-intrusively inspecting circuit breakers, comprising:

receiving at least one circuit breaker, wherein the circuit breaker comprises a tank having an interior with one or more connector assemblies;

placing an X-ray unit at a first location of an exterior of the tank;

placing at least one digital imaging plate at a second location of the exterior the tank;

generating X-rays from the X-ray unit, such that at least a portion of the generated X-rays traverse a plane that includes at least a portion of the one or more connector assemblies and at least a portion of the at least one digital imaging plate;

retrieving an image from each digital imaging plate, wherein each image includes at least a portion of the one or more connector assemblies; and

determining an extent of wear of the one or more connector assemblies by determining a scaling associated with the image.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the connector assembly includes one or both of a stationary side contact and a moving side contact.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein determining the extent of wear of the one or more connector assemblies includes determining the extent of wear of the stationary side contact.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the scaling includes determining a scale for a template, wherein the scaled template is compared to the image to determine the extent of wear of the one or more connector assemblies.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein retrieving an image comprises retrieving an image from each digital imaging plate via at least one scanner unit operable with the digital imaging plate.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image can be directly manipulated on a computer.

7. A system for non-intrusive inspections of circuit breakers, comprising:

a circuit breaker having at least one connector assembly;

an X-ray unit at a first position of the circuit breaker for transmitting X-ray energy, wherein the transmitted X-ray energy is directed towards at least a portion of the at least one connector assembly;

a digital imaging plate at a second position of the circuit breaker substantially opposite the first position for receiving the transmitted X-ray energy, wherein the digital imaging plate stores an image that is defined, at least in part, by the received X-ray energy; and

a computer for receiving the stored image, wherein the computer is operative to determine an extent of wear of the at least one connector assembly by determining a scaling associated with the image.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the computer receives the stored image via a scanner unit that retrieves the stored image from the digital imaging plate.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the stored image captures at least a portion of the at least one connector assembly.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the portion of the at least one connector assembly includes a stationary side contact.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein determining the scaling includes determining a scale for a template, wherein the scaled template is compared to the image to determine the extent of wear of the at least one connector assembly.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the template includes a plurality of concentric arcs drawn at different scales for determining the extent of wear of the at least one connector assembly.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first position is below the at least one connector assembly and the second position is above the at least one connector assembly.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first position is above the at least one connector assembly and the second position is below the at least one connector assembly.

15. A method for on-site inspections of high-voltage circuit breakers, comprising:

receiving a circuit breaker having a tank encapsulating at least one connector assembly;

placing an X-ray unit at a first position exterior to the tank;

placing a cassette having a digital imaging plate at a second position exterior to the tank, wherein the first and second positions lay on a plane that includes at least a portion of the at least one connector assembly;

transmitting X-rays from the X-ray unit, wherein at least a portion of the X-rays traverses from the X-ray unit at the first position to the cassette at the second position;

retrieving an image from the digital imaging plate; and

determining an extent of wear of the at least one connector assembly by determining a scaling associated with the image.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising disengaging at least one connector assembly such that the moving side contact and the stationary side contact are in a locked-out position.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the cassette further includes one or more filtering screens.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining the extent of wear of the at least one connector assembly includes enlarging the image on a computer.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining the scaling includes determining a scale for a template, wherein the scaled template is compared to the image to determine the extent of wear of the at least one connector assembly.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plane is perpendicular to at least a portion of the at least one connector assembly.