Tasked with undertaking a large program of trunk main leak identification TEXO Survey & Inspection were tasked by Wessex Water to survey hundreds of kilometres of their buried pipe assets. The aim was to identify leaks they were unable to with standard methods and enable their teams to intervene and prevent further losses.
The drive for the team was to increase the speed at which the ground could be covered, minimize site access requirements, reduce the risk to personnel and identify geographically the estimated leak position. Working this way enabled the teams to ascertain if there were patterns to the leak positions and identify the locations for the repair crews.
The Solution
- TEXO Survey & Inspection deployed a two-person team to the site. They had a two-hour window after sunset and sunrise to capture the required data due to environmental constraints involved in thermal imaging.
- The team followed the pipe routes as per received drawings and could capture up to 15km in a single day.
- Captured data was uploaded to the TEXO portal, where trained thermographers analysed the images for signs of leak detection the same day, allowing TEXO to submit their findings quickly and instantly highlight large leaks.
- Access requirements for the team were minimal, and due to the height and speed of the drone in operation, data was captured with both expedience and minimal disturbance to landowners relative to traditional surveying methods.
The Result
- Inspectors were able to quickly annotate images, marking areas of concern and instantly geolocating these positions using the Texzone Portal.
- Key asset managers were able to instantly identify images of interest and the position of the leaks with the data hosted.
- Customised comments were additionally included.
- All levels and key stakeholders within and beyond the organisation could view, share, and download the data via.
- Reports were generated of each route, summarising the key findings.
