Paradise Dam, operated by Sunwater, stands as a vital component of Queensland's water infrastructure, serving multiple purposes including irrigation, flood mitigation, and water supply. Ensuring the structural integrity and safety of such dams is paramount, and Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) inspection plays a crucial role in this endeavor. Through the utilisation of ROVs equipped with advanced sensors and imaging technology, AUS-ROV conducts comprehensive inspections of structural components of dams, providing valuable insights into their condition and integrity. Despite these efforts, recent assessments have raised concerns regarding the long-term viability of Paradise Dam, prompting the decision to explore alternatives, including the construction of a new dam immediately downstream of the current structure. This decision underscores the Queensland Governments commitment to maintaining water security and safety for surrounding communities while navigating the challenges posed by aging infrastructure and evolving environmental factors.
Over the past 12 years AUS-ROV has provided underwater search, investigation and recovery services for Government Authorities including Queensland and New South Wales Water Police, Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
In the spring of 2023, AUS-ROV provided critical ROV support for a Government search operation involving multibeam sonar, GPS mapping, object identification and recovery over a 10 week campaign.
While we can't share the specifics, we can share that it was one of the most meaningful operations we've had the honour to play our part in.
The Brogo Dam, operated by WaterNSW, stands as a critical component of Australia's water infrastructure, serving to supply water for irrigation, domestic consumption, and environmental sustainability in the region it serves. As with all dams across the country, ensuring the structural integrity and operational efficiency of the Brogo Dam is paramount to safeguarding surrounding communities and the environment. In this context, ROV inspection plays a vital role in maintaining the safety and reliability of dams in Australia. By employing ROVs equipped with advanced sensors and imaging technology, such as high-definition cameras and sonar systems, WaterNSW can conduct thorough and regular inspections of the Brogo Dam's underwater structures and components. These inspections enable engineers and operators to detect potential issues, such as erosion, leakage, or structural damage, in a timely manner, allowing for proactive maintenance and repair measures to be implemented. Ultimately, the utilization of ROV inspection ensures that dams like Brogo remain robust and resilient, contributing to the sustainable management of water resources and the safety of surrounding communities.
Situated on Curtis Island, Shell’s QCLNG Terminal stands as a cornerstone of Australia's liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, serving as a pivotal hub for the processing, storage, and exportation of natural gas. Amidst its critical role in the energy sector, ensuring the integrity and reliability of its infrastructure is paramount. One essential aspect of this maintenance lies in the inspection and upkeep of the LNG jetty piles, vital structural components that support the terminal's operations. Leveraging AUS-ROV’s cutting-edge ROV technology has revolutionised this process, allowing for comprehensive and efficient inspections of these underwater assets. Through the use of remotely operated vehicles equipped with advanced sensors and tools, such as high-definition cameras, multibeam imaging sonars, high-pressure water blasting systems, ultrasonic thickness testing equipment, and cathodic potential measurement devices, the QCLNG Terminal can conduct thorough assessments of the steel piles with unparalleled precision and effectiveness. This integration of ROV technology not only enhances the safety and efficiency of maintenance operations but also ensures the continued operational excellence and safety of the QCLNG Terminal, reinforcing its pivotal role in Australia's energy landscape.
AUS-ROV’s systems come equipped with high-definition cameras and specialised sensors to provide detailed visual inspections, detecting corrosion, damage, blockages and other anomalies. Operating remotely reduces the need for human divers therefore eliminating safety risks and allowing for complete inspection of the 1.6km and 1km tunnels. Overall, ROV technology offers a safe, efficient, and comprehensive method for inspecting desalination plant tunnels, ensuring optimal performance and reliability of the infrastructure.
AUS-ROV are renowned industry front runners in underwater technology services. Our ability to capture three dimensional sonar data of underwater structures using highly sophisticated technology and modelling software makes us the superior choice for projects that do not conform to standard technical boundaries. AUS-ROV utilised the Teledyne BlueView 5000 underwater 3D multibeam sonar for point data acquisition for determining accurate spatial positioning of underwater bridge structural components.
AUS-ROV was commisioned to undertake structural assessment of a water filtration plant in Sydneys South East. The variability in the untreated raw water was cause for concern in reliability of high definition video camera and hence 2D multibeam imaging sonar was used in conjunction with. Combining the multibeam survey of concrete surfaces with a visual camera follow up on identified defects provides a significant time saving methodology of inspection meaning we don’t waste days on site looking at structures through murky water at close range. The quality of the sonar image in relation to a deviation in the concretes surface is demonstrated in the below comparison between sonar image and video image.
AUS-ROV utilised the Teledyne SeaBotix vLBV300 Remotely Operated Vehicle System to position and survey a dam wall surface using Teledyne BlueView M900/2250 - 130 2D two dimensional high resolution multibeam sonar to detect deviations in surface profile, concrete spalling, cracking, deterioration and condition of previously installed repairs or patchwork. The sonar data is captured and later post processed to achieve a 2D high resolution image of the entire dam wall. A UAV was utilised to capture the above water dam structure in HD Video and this data used to generat a photogrammetric model allowing AUS-ROV personnel to present the entire upstream face of the dam structure in a high resolution 2D hybrid photo mosaic.
AUS-ROV perform small footprint rapid mobilisation services for water asset owners around the country. Some of our ROV’s are small enought to check in on domestic airlines flights and enable us to urgently get observation class eyes on the subject within short timeframes… when it matters most! Dam infrastructure generally involves multiple stakeholders including hydro power generation, agriculture and domestic water supply, all of which cannot afford to have downtime. AUS-ROV understands when emergencies occur that timing is of the essence and we have a proven track record for delivering ROV inspection services within critical timeframes.
Through collaborating with commercial diving companies over the years, AUS-ROV has been able to access some intrinsically difficult to reach places. Subsea Global Solutions (formerly Gray Diving Services) are one outfit that have recognised the value in collaboration between diver and remote operated vehicle, in fact the US Navy have in recent years adopted the SRS Fusion being a hybrid ROV/AUV which also can be used as a Diver Navigation & Propulsion System. There remains a robust relationship between man and machine, one prime example is the use of diver and inspection class ROV for conduction internal surveys of tunnels and pipelines with access hatches or grates. Divers can be utilised for means of accessing underwater confined spaces however the hazards once inside pose too high a risk and physical challenge to warrant performing the inspection much beyond this point. This is where the advantages of ROV can be exemplified. In the instance of Cascade Dam, a diver was deployed to unbolt a hatch which then allowed an ROV to enter into a 400mm diameter scour pipeline and conduct internal visual inspection up to the downstream valve at a distance of approximately 220m. Both Diver and ROV have their uses in modern day underwater operations and we will continue to see this symbiotic relationship in years to come.
