Chetwynd Reservoir Internal Inspection

People

Process

Engage

Upon receipt of an initial enquiry regarding the ability to obtain UAV captured images of the internal concrete wall of the reservoir, we gained an understanding of what Malachy Walsh & Partners required. Due to difficulties in ensuring reliable communications with a UAV, Murphy Geospatial suggested an alternative approach which was accepted by our client.

Plan

Upon award of the contract, Murphy Geospatial coordinated with multiple stakeholders to ensure all necessary preparations were made. The reservoir was emptied for the purposes of the inspection and any necessary repair, so the inspection needed to be carried out within a certain window of opportunity.

Execute

A two-man team was used to carry out the survey. With all appropriate PPE, including rope access harness and confined space kits, our inspectors used a 10 m telescopic pole in 3 radial bands around the internal wall of the reservoir at increasing heights. The pole had high-intensity LED lights to illuminate the wall and a high-definition HDR camera which could be remotely operated from the ground. A preview of the image was visible to the inspectors to ensure high quality results and avoid blurred images etc. before moving to the next section.

Deliver

Murphy Geospatial delivered a set of high-quality photographs enabling an appropriate engineering assessment to be carried out.

Review

Our client was able to proceed with their engineering assessment with confidence. Our combined efforts, along with other project stakeholders, partly ensures that residents of Cork City will have a secure water supply for years to come.

Technology

Our technology approach on this project was to combine a high-resolution camera and LED lights with the accessibility of our 10 m telescopic pole. This pole is useful to avoid the need for MEWP or scaffolding when carrying out inspections and was perfectly suited for this project.