WORLD FIRST ASME CODE INSPECTION AT A US NUCLEAR PLANT
Sector Power Generation
Region North America
Although drones have previously been utilised in the nuclear industry this was the first time a drone has been used by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) according to the Section XI Code. The Code refers to several American Concrete Institute standards for completing an examination and this inspection has been recognised within the nuclear industry as a best practice based on these standards.
Cyberhawk has built a strong reputation for conducting UAV structural inspections in hazardous industrial environments, where safety is paramount, which saw the team become the preferred provider for this challenging scope of work. UAV inspection was also favoured to provide accurate data as it meant minimal risk to personnel, versus the working at height issues associated with conventional inspection and access techniques.
Moreover, the level of detail obtainable from traditional inspection methods is nowhere near what was achieved with UAV technology, capturing images of 100% of the dome surface to the ASME code standard with the results digitised into a 3D point cloud, that will allow direct digital comparison for any future inspections.
Work was completed quickly, efficiently and according to the ASME code examination requirements, with an experienced pilot and inspection engineer working around the plant’s scheduled projects, without causing any interference. Furthermore, the magnetic interference of the nuclear plant meant that GPS signal was non-existent, so the whole project had to be flown by the pilot completely manually to conduct a safe inspection.
The alternative method of inspection would have involved using a man basket with a huge crane, which could take up to a week just to set up. In contrast, it took just one week for Cyberhawk to inspect both domes using UAVs, and generated cost savings of 300%.
Although drones have previously been utilised in the nuclear industry this was the first time a drone has been used by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) according to the Section XI Code. The Code refers to several American Concrete Institute standards for completing an examination and this inspection has been recognised within the nuclear industry as a best practice based on these standards.
Cyberhawk has built a strong reputation for conducting UAV structural inspections in hazardous industrial environments, where safety is paramount, which saw the team become the preferred provider for this challenging scope of work. UAV inspection was also favoured to provide accurate data as it meant minimal risk to personnel, versus the working at height issues associated with conventional inspection and access techniques.