Cooling Tower Laser Scan

• Division

  Survey & Mapping

• Completion

  2023

In early February 2023, Fenstermaker was engaged by an engineering firm to assist them in a Cooling Tower Project located in the Northern part of the United States. The cooling tower had developed cracks along the exterior of the shell and the engineering firm was interested in understanding if those cracks were affecting the tower and if mitigation measures should be taken. With the help of cutting-edge technology and a few highly trained survey professionals, Fenstermaker was able to develop processes and workflows to collect critical information, which the engineering firm used to make decisions regarding the monitoring and potential stabilization of the cooling tower. 

Using a Leica MS50 robotic Total Station and a Leica P50 laser scanstation, Fenstermaker collected critical point cloud data (scans) and images of the cooling tower to serve as the baseline survey for further monitoring and analysis. The scans were geo-rectified using a high-order survey control network and that data was output into a point cloud model which the project team could use to review the results of the survey. Once the baseline survey was complete, it was determined that a better understanding of the cracks was needed. Specifically, was the cracking affecting the integrity of the tower’s stability. It was determined that a real-time monitoring solution was required. To monitor the structure, Fenstermaker utilized reflectorless total station technology and a plethora of targets across the face of the cooling tower. These targets were measured over three times per day over a period of 80 days. The results of each day’s survey were loaded into an interactive data base for use by the engineering firm. The monitoring has enabled the facility and the engineers to better grasp the true condition of the structure.