CleaningwithWALL·E
They aren’t the only ROVs in the
Northumbrian Water underwater in-tank
fleet. The company also works with Panton
McLeod to deploy the VR480, VR600 and
VR700 WALL·E-like robots underwater to
clean and inspect the tanks.
The number in the model type refers to its
size: the VR480 moves on tracks 480mm
wide; the VR600 on 600mm tracks and
so on. The height of each model is about
600mm – a little more than half a metre.
The robots travel in tanks, vacuuming up
sediment when cleaning, and inspecting
for faults and cracks. Northumbrian
Water first adopted the technology in
2003, becoming an industry leader.
The Horsley Project saw Northumbrian
Water recognise Panton McLeod for
their contribution in helping the company
“achieve its goal to be the national leader
in sustainable water and waste water
services.” Using the high-tech service, an
extremely difficult-to-access 34-megalitre
tank was cleaned, inspected and
structurally modified without disrupting
regular service to customers.
Eye in the sky
High tech can be used in constrained
places like pipes and tanks, but has
also “slipped the surly bonds of Earth
and danced the skies on laughter-
silvered wings.”
UK Power Networks Holdings Limited has
a vast web of powerlines spreading over
London, the South East and the East of
England, criss-crossing cities, towns, vast
tracts of countryside and even forests.
Staff have had to pick their way across
public and private lands to determine
whether those powerlines were at threat
of damage from encroaching vegetation
growing into the powerlines or being
brought into contact from storm or other
structural impacts (for example, age or
tree trauma).
But now, new technology not only
allows the entire surveying process to
happen from the sky, but it allows those
responsible for surveying the entire
network to see a periodically updated
image whenever they want. Cutting-edge
new technology known as LiDAR makes
this possible. A portmanteau of the words
Ringo (Starr) and Macca (Paul
McCartney), are Remote
Operated Vehicles, controlled
by expert engineers.
>>
Sphere
#40
2016
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