Recently, Creaform’s Metrology Services division was contacted by a French electric power-generation company to inspect a set of hydraulic penstocks, or water channels. The targeted installation was suspected to be deformed after its 50 years of operation. Pressure changes, corrosion, temperature variations, mechanical damages, and deformation due to the weight of the huge pipes resting on concrete stands are among the many factors that could have caused deformations. The purpose of the inspection was to evaluate the global cylindricity of the pipes, as well as identifying local dents.

For this particular project, the environment in which the inspection had to take place stood as a great challenge for Creaform’s application specialists: open air, and in a mountainous region with steep slopes. The weather was changing, and the team experienced both rain and fog. Of course, no power source was available on-site, so the team had to carry its own generator.

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