Do hydroelectric power plants need underwater inspection and maintenance services?

Hydroelectric power plant environments, normally associated with turbid waters, have complex inspection needs and frequent requests for underwater inspection and maintenance services.

How often should hydroelectric dams and power plants be inspected in Brazil?

In Brazil there is a legal requirement to inspect all hydroelectric dams and power plants (HPP) every five to ten years, but the methods to be employed for such inspection are not well-defined. Most of the work is currently done by autonomous scuba divers using visual and conventional direct methods.

How do robots and drones work at a Hunan hydropower plant?

Every day at the Wuqiangxi hydropower plant in the Hunan province, a fleet of robots and drones equipped with image and sound recognition tools, infrared thermometer and other devices, patrol the machine floors to collect data. This information is then used by a remote platform to give a diagnosis of the station’s health in real time.

What are the objectives of an HPP inspection?

The objectives for an HPP inspection can be summarised as follows: Identification and location of specific targets, such as lost tools or parts that could inhibit or degrade the operation of any component of the HPP.