CASE STUDY :
A3D TOOK ON A CHALLENGE WITH A JOB THAT REQUIRED, AN UPSIDE DOWN TANK SURVEY
SPECIALISTS IN THE PROCESS INDUSTRY CUTTING EDGE 3D SCANNING TECHNOLOGY MAPPING YOUR SITE FOR ANALYSIS, MODELING, AND DOCUMENTATION
UPSIDE DOWN TANK SURVEY
A major LPG supplier in the country asked us to look at surveying one of their out of service tanks, but there was a catch. The tanks only access points were through the roof, the only way of gaining access was abseiling down. All of A3D surveyors have first aid, CCNSG Training and confined space training but no rope access training.
To have us lowered down into the tank, with our kit was going to prove expensive and risky; so we were asked to look into viable options. After some planning we worked out that surveying the tank from the top would be fairly easy with the help of an inverted tripod, but what was going to cause issues was being able to link the internal scans with the outer scans.
Graham designed three brackets that would hang over the side of the roofs man way, which could hold 145mm spheres at different heights, but due to the narrow 36″ entrance, this wouldn’t be enough for an accurate register of the point cloud. So we devised to use the pipework that penetrated the tank as registration markers, which allowed us to accurately link the internal scan with the outside scans.
When A3D survey team arrived, we sat down discussed the plan of operation with the rope access / safety team, went through the local induction and our RAMS documents. The laser scanning gear that was carried up the tank, consisted of a Faro Focus, Inverted Tripod, 6x 145mm Spheres 3x 200mm Spheres.
The scanner was placed on the underside of the tripod and the rope access crew, safely positioned the feet of the tripod into the bolt holes of the manway. Once the safety team was happy A3D lowered the scanner down into the tank and wirelessly started the scan via a laptop.
Once the internal 30-minute internal scan was finished, the scanner was winched up and the second scan was completed to survey in the internal reference spheres and the new external spheres; this allowed us to survey the tank roof from the outside.
Once the roof was finished we used our large 200mm spheres to survey down to the ground and from there we were able to survey the outside plates and pipework. The scan data was later used for a full internal and external tank analysis report, for vertical and radial alignment.The full survey only took 8 hours and A3D look forward to working with the LPG supplier again.
The scanner was placed on the underside of the tripod and the rope access crew, safely positioned the feet of the tripod into the bolt holes of the manway. Once the safety team was happy A3D lowered the scanner down into the tank and wirelessly started the scan.
GALLERY PICTURES
JOB BREAKDOWN
Pre-Planning
A3D will complete pre-planning in order to determine the most efficient and therefore, cost effective solution.
Risk & Method Statements
A3D recognise that any form of site work on an operating site must be subject of both RAMS along with planning documents in order to expedite an efficient and safe survey.
3D Laser Scan
Recognized as the preferred method for accurately capturing measured site data using 3D laser scanning instruments. Traditional methods being time-consuming and subject to error.
Register Scan Data
Once A3D has been out on site with the 3D Laser Scanners we then process the scan using faro scene software.
Tank Aligned
The point cloud data of the tank is aligned with a basic cylinder primitive or existing tank data.
Tank Analysed
Point cloud data gets positioned against a 3D primitive and the data is analyzed to produce a range of outputs.
Tank Reporting
A range of tank reporting is produced from the analyzed tank
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RELATED SERVICES
LASER SCANNING
A3D is proud to have established point cloud technologies – now recognized as the preferred method for accurately capturing measured site data using 3D laser scanning instruments – traditional methods are time-consuming and subject to error
P&ID DRAWINGS
Piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) are considered a fundamental requirement for companies managing a process operation. P&IDs play a significant role in its maintenance and modification.
TANK ANALYSIS
The A3D Tank Analysis Reports deliver critical information at a high level of granularity, unachievable by traditional methods. We use advanced 3d laser scanners without the need to employ temporary access platforms, proving to be a very competitively priced alternative.
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COLIN PITTMAN
P: (+44) 01245 407551
M: (+44) 07435 760153
