Construction of refineries, LNG plants, chemical plants, and similar facilities is complex.Bringing together all of the required assets into a safe, reliable, functioning facility requires the talents of many individuals.There is a constant need to ensure that the facility is coming together as planned.A key part of this process is inspection. One area that needs to be assessed is the impact of debris.Refineries are built outside – debris is everywhere.Debris comes in many forms:dirt, sand, welding slag, tools.Debris is often inside of the piping system of a refinery.Undetected debris, if left in place, can impact the operational efficiency and safety of a refinery.
Refinery under construction
The human eye is a great detector for identifying debris.Consequently, visual inspection is often the primary means of detecting and eliminating debris.Detecting debris inside of pipes, however, is challenging.Often, the diameter of the pipe is too small for a technician to enter.Robotic inspection tools are useful for debris inspection.Conventional 2D cameras are a reasonable substitute for the human eye and can generally detect large, foreign objects inside of pipes.
Using algorithms developed by Seikowave engineers, the height and volume of the debris can be extracted from the 3D model.Even small objects can be detected and assessed in this manner.This provides the inspection team with the data that they need to determine the extent and type of debris inside pipes.This information is critical to determinig how best to remove the debris.
For more information regarding this capability, contact Seikowave.