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 jsnyder@ocean-coastal.com
Ocean and Coastal Consultants
Project Engineer
Phone: 203.268.5007 Ext. 237
Chris Gibson chris.gibson@videoRay.com
VideoRay LLC
Director, Marketing
Phone: 610.458.3010
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