Underwater Robot Keeps Divers Safe, Captures Detailed Video During Caribbean Refinery Inspection - ROV Assists Completing the Mission with Minimum Additional Cost
Ocean and Coastal Consultants, Inc. (OCC – ( http://www.ocean-coastal.com/ ) of Trumbull, CT is a recognized industry leader in civil, structural, coastal, and geotechnical engineering for waterfront structures. When tasked with inspecting an offloading pier at a Caribbean Refinery early this year, they started with standard Engineer-Diver techniques. However, due to safety concerns, making use of the Engineer-Divers was not possible.
Exton, PA (PRWEB) April 20, 2005 -- Ocean and Coastal Consultants, Inc. (OCC
– ( http://www.ocean-coastal.com/ ) of Trumbull, CT is a
recognized industry leader in civil, structural, coastal, and geotechnical
engineering for waterfront structures. When tasked with inspecting an offloading
pier at a Caribbean Refinery early this year, they started with standard
Engineer-Diver techniques. However, due to safety concerns, making use of the
Engineer-Divers was not possible.
Electronic Sales of New England (ESNE -
http://www.esalesne.com/ ),
a premier technology provider in nearby Old Saybrook, CT was tasked with finding
a solution - fast. Mark Warren, a Principal of ESNE recommended a VideoRay (http://www.Videoray.com)
Remotely Operated Vehicle for its portability, ease of use, and maneuverability
in tight locations. He had a leased unit on the way to the site within 18 hours
of getting the call.
Jeff Snyder of OCC was the engineer and ROV operator
on site. He commented on the mission - "Despite the fact that we had a mid-level
VideoRay - the Explorer model - and I had previously operated a Pro III model –
I was able to get everything we really needed in a very short period of time.”
We inspected almost the entire structure, penetrating through locations where
divers could not have entered safely. We also inspected mooring dolphins away
from the primary structure. When we had problems or questions, the VideoRay team
talked us through them by phone."
To do the inspection, Jeff broke the
structure into segments where the VideoRay was flown on the surface to a piling,
where it submerged for the underwater inspection. A full video documentation was
recorded. He was able to inspect 75-95% of the support beams and underside of
the concrete deck and was able to determine the condition of the beams and
concrete. He was also able to see a good sample of the "H" piles and the center
beam to make their determinations about the structural integrity of the
facility. Stan White, president of OCC commented further: "There's two aspects
to doing a job like this right. One aspect is to understand what to look for,
how problems develop and how they can be fixed - the engineering expertise our
firm has worked years to develop. Another is stay on top of the right tools as
they become available, and keep your people safe and productive.
The
quick deployment of the VideoRay to solve a field discovered condition on this
job is something we're proud of - and we're proud of Jeff for the way he pulled
it off." Scott Bentley, the president of VideoRay, compared the development of
ROV technology to the early years of computer development. "A popular
misconception in the 1980s was that big computers were needed for 'big' computer
jobs. Many people feel that way about ROVs - only big ROVs can do big jobs.
We're now learning that smaller is better on inspection ROVs - VideoRays have
the thrust, control, cameras, and accessories needed to inspect this site, which
was very large and very complicated. Look for VideoRay to develop even more
capable units in the near future."
For further information:
Jeff
Snyder e-mail protected from spam bots
Ocean and Coastal
Consultants
Project Engineer
Phone: 203.268.5007 Ext. 237
Chris
Gibson e-mail protected from spam bots
VideoRay LLC
Director,
Marketing
Phone: 610.458.3010
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb230457.htm