Drone Cuts Scrubber Inspection Time by 98%, Saving 470 Hours of Work
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) tested the Elios 2 drone for inspecting a scrubber at one of its power plants and found that it significantly improved safety while drastically reducing inspection time.
Key Benefits at a Glance
|
Safety Traditional scrubber inspections require workers to climb scaffolding up to 80 feet high, posing significant risks. By using a drone, TVA personnel avoided dangerous heights and reduced exposure to confined spaces. |
Speed A manual scrubber inspection typically takes around 480 hours. With the Elios 2, TVA completed the same inspection in just 10 hours, cutting the time needed by 98% and saving 470 work hours. |
Improved Maintenance Drones allow TVA to collect visual data without setting up scaffolding, enabling quick spot checks for leaks or other issues. This makes maintenance more efficient and proactive. |
About TVA
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is the largest public power provider in the United States. It serves over 10 million people across seven southeastern states through 153 local power companies and large industrial customers.
Founded in 1933, TVA has always focused on innovation, aiming to reduce costs and improve employee safety. Recently, the organization began exploring drone technology as part of its ongoing efforts to modernize operations and enhance efficiency.
Why Scrubbers Needed Better Inspection
Scrubbers, or flue gas desulfurization (FGD) units, are essential for removing sulfur dioxide from coal plant emissions. They are massive structures—like enormous caverns—where internal spray headers must be inspected regularly.
Inspecting these areas traditionally required building scaffolding up to 80 feet high, which posed serious safety risks. This made scrubber inspections an ideal candidate for drone testing, offering a safer and faster alternative.
The Solution: Elios 2 Drone
James Manni, TVA’s UAS Program Manager, decided to test the Elios 2 drone for inspecting Unit 2 scrubbers at the Cumberland Fossil Plant. The Elios 2 is designed with a protective cage, allowing it to navigate tight spaces safely and continue flying even after minor collisions.
The goal was to see if the drone could collect visual data efficiently, improving both safety and speed. The scrubbers at Unit 2 were over 100 feet tall, making the task challenging but also highlighting the potential benefits of drone use.
Results of the Test
This was TVA’s first time using a drone for scrubber inspection, and it was a success. During the initial flight, the team discovered a maintenance issue in one of the spray headers, which was quickly resolved.
The full inspection was completed in 8–10 hours, collecting all necessary visual data without any scaffolding. The team later used the drone to inspect Unit 1, where it helped locate a fluid leak inside the scrubber, avoiding the need for draining and extensive setup.
Image captured by the drone during the mission
Watch the video to see real footage from the inspection:
Why Drones Are a Game-Changer
The biggest benefit of using the Elios 2 was safety. No scaffolding had to be built, and no personnel had to climb to dangerous heights. That eliminated the risk of falls and confined space hazards.
In terms of time, the traditional method would have taken 480 hours—450 for scaffolding and 30 for the actual inspection. With the drone, it took only 10 hours, saving 470 hours of labor. This makes the process 98% faster.
Another image captured by the drone
Looking Ahead
Since the initial tests on Units 1 and 2, James Manni and his team have continued using the Elios 2 during routine maintenance outages. The drone has proven to be a reliable tool for identifying issues quickly and efficiently.
TVA plans to expand its drone program into more applications, leveraging the technology for spot checks and other inspections. As the benefits become clearer, the use of drones in power plant maintenance is expected to grow significantly.
The APV Department was founded in 1910 by Richard Seligman, and APV plate heat exchanger is the world's inventor of plate heat exchangers. For a long time, APV plate heat exchanger research has been at the forefront of the world. In addition to the research and development of fluid flow and heat transfer efficiency, APV pays more attention to the study of the convenient operation and maintenance of plate heat exchangers and the longevity of plate gaskets. APV plate heat exchanger plate and gasket characteristics, gasket materials are EPDM, NBR, HNBR, FKM/VITON, etc. The plates include stainless steel AISI304/316/316L/317L, 254SMO/654SMO/904L, Hastelloy, nickel alloy Nickel201, titanium Ti Gr1, titanium palladium alloy and other materials are suitable for various fluid conditions.
Principle of APV heat exchanger:
The basic concept of the plate heat exchanger is that two streams of liquid flow on one side of a thin corrugated metal plate, and heat is easily transferred between the two streams of liquid. Plate heat exchangers occupy less space and are light in weight compared with other heat exchange equipment.
As the world's leading plate heat exchanger plate manufacturer and seller, Baode has a wide variety of domestic plate heat exchanger plates, more models! It can provide all common types of plate heat exchanger plates from well-known brands at home and abroad (including: AlfaLaval /GEA, TRANTER, SONDEX/HISAKA/APV/Thermowave /Schmidt/FUNKE/VICARB/LHE, etc.).
Apv Heat Exchanger Gasekts,Apv Plate Heat Exchanger Gasekts,Plate Heat Exchanger Rubber Gasket
Jiangsu Baode Heat-Exchanger Equipment Co.,LTD , https://www.baodehex.com