ROBOTIC CAPABILITY

WATER ASSET MAINTENANCE

Industry Solutions

Our online robotic solutions are suitable for desludging applications in the following industries:

Tanks
Reservoirs
Lined Ponds
Tailings Dams

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Internationally recognised certifications and accreditations.

The maintenance of water assets such as tanks, reservoirs, lined ponds and tailings dams can be a challenging task for many facilities. Maintenance usually involves the periodic cleaning and inspection of the asset to maintain storage capacity, check asset integrity, remove sludge, and comply with statutory obligations. The critical nature of these assets often means that taking them offline for maintenance is challenging and can be very costly.

At face value, the solution of using robots to clean and inspect these assets sounds both simplistic and common-sense, however most assets present challenges that must be carefully considered to avoid asset damage, downtime, turbidity impacts or other undesired outcomes. Using substandard equipment or inappropriate techniques to undertake these tasks can have significant unwanted impacts and be a costly decision.

Before undertaking any maintenance task, it is important to understand the driver for the work being performed, the operational constraints that the asset has and the expectations of the Client for the work being undertaken. Risks associated with the work should be thoroughly understood by both parties and any required mitigation strategies agreed upon in advance. An experienced service provider will generally have a sound understanding of these risks and a suite of mitigations incorporated into their Standard Operating Procedures.

Potable grade assets require special consideration to ensure that all equipment used for the operation is dedicated solely to potable water use only, and that the equipment can be operated without impacting the turbidity levels of the asset. Failure to do so can result in elevated turbidity levels, which can lower chlorine residuals and allow pathogens lying dormant in the sediment to become active. Dredge Robotics offer a variety of robotic products for potable water applications that are proven to have negligible turbidity impact and have won both national and international acclaim by some of the most respected water utilities on the planet.

Non-potable assets such as process tanks and lined ponds can often have zero visibility. This means that conventional camera systems cannot be used, and necessitates the use of a hybrid systems capable of modelling the surrounds of the robot for navigation and obstacle avoidance. Fortunately, the team at Dredge Robotics have pioneered work in this field to allow robots to operate safely in nil visibility conditions, even in challenging environments of very high water flow.

Some assets require particular inspection regimes to comply with statutory or maintenance requirements. It is important to choose an inspection method that provides relevant, high quality data to the end user and is presented in a meaningful way. Dredge Robotics offer a variety of comprehensive reporting options, and can provide guidance on which is best suited to particular asset types.

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