Civil Infrastructure
Laser Scanning for Efficient Operation
Locating and investigating deterioration in its early stages is critical for avoiding the costly replacement or reconstruction of structures. By using laser scanning to obtain detailed point cloud models, an accurate baseline can be established and the condition of structures can be effectively monitored in order to pinpoint signs of deterioration and schedule maintenance before it is too late, thus minimizing costs.
Sea Wall
A Key Line of Defence
- Coastal retaining walls function to protect the coastline from damage caused by waves
- Without retaining walls, the tidal impact is directly inflicted upon the coastline, resulting in coastal erosion and deterioration
Corrosion Damage
- As a line of defence against tidal activity, coastal retaining walls endure stress and wear which lead to corrosion
- If coastal retaining walls are not maintained, areas of human habitation and coastal conservation become threatened
Detecting Deterioration
- Locating and investigating retaining wall deterioration in its early stages is critical for ensuring the protection of the coastline and for avoiding extensive repairs or costly replacement
- With underwater laser scanning, highly detailed 3D models provide an accurate baseline and allow for the regular monitoring so that signs of deterioration can be proactively detected
Interior Tubes
Assessing the Current State
- Obtaining accurate information of the deterioration and changes to tubes and jackets is essential to enabling effective project commissioning
- Additionally, understanding of the current state of tubes is important for maintaining the integrity of assets and projecting work necessary across their lifespan
Constraints of Caliper Pigging
- A traditional approach for interior tube inspections is caliper pigging and simple video inspection. However, caliper pigs for large diameter pipes are extremely heavy, which increases deployment complexity and project operating costs
- Also, spacing between each of the caliper pigs’ sensors means that the results will be low resolution and that the production of the final models must rely on data interpolation
Laser Scanning for Precise Results
- 2G Robotics’ laser scanners produce submillimeter resolution 3D models, removing the need for data interpolation by capturing detailed geometry and anomalies that traditional methods would not observe or, at best, poorly define
Water Wells
Water Well Risks
- If water is leaking out of a well pipe, there is likely a poor connection, perforation, or crack in the pipe, which will cause the well pump to run more frequently and result in increased water usage
- Leaks into a well casing are also problematic as groundwater will enter along with potentially difficult to remove contamination
- Understanding the current state of geometry in the well is useful for new and retrofit construction, particularly in situations where there is poor documentation or damage to the pump may have occurred
Accurate Assessment
- Wells are confined spaces, which makes them difficult to assess
- The ULS-100 underwater laser scanner can be easily deployed inside wells to generate 3D point cloud models from which connection problems, perforations, or cracks can be precisely pinpointed and assessed
- With the detailed knowledge obtained from the 3D models, repairs can be conducted more efficiently, effectively and accurately
Pipes and Tunnels
Tunnel Maintenance
- Water tunnels will gradually deteriorate over time, resulting in structural distress. Acquiring comprehensive knowledge of a tunnel’s condition is essential for ensuring reliability and maximizing the service life of the asset
- If tunnel condition assessments are not routinely performed, potential problems that threaten to interrupt power generation or water supply cannot be properly identified
Inspect Without Disrupting Service
- In order to assess the condition and evaluate the reliability of water tunnels, the tunnels often need to be taken out of service. Water tunnels, however, are critical infrastructure and so removing them from service for inspection causes scheduling difficulties, operational inconveniences and unnecessary expenses
- Unlike traditional inspection methods, with underwater laser scanning water tunnels can remain in service during inspection, enabling assessments to be conducted efficiently and effectively at no operational or customer inconvenience
As-Built Conditions
As-Built Construction
- Obtaining accurate as-built information is critical. As-built surveys of new or retrofited underwater installations provide essential information for project commissioning
- As-builts also provide detailed records of assets at the time of survey, which can be used as a baseline for future inspections
Complete Information
- When compared to traditional methods for generating as-built models, underwater laser scanning enables much greater detail with higher resolution, higher accuracy point clouds
- The resulting models are able to show millimeter level discrepancies between the as-built state and the initial design
As-Builts as an Added Benefit
- When underwater laser scanning is employed for a specific measurement, such as metrology, the entire structure can be scanned without adding any time or cost to the project
- This means that a model is generated, even when that was not the initial purpose of the campaign – ultimately providing useful as-built information in addition to the target measurements
