Large retrofit projects in power plants involving the installation of complicated new MEP systems within congested spaces pose a range of challenges. Project success relies on total accuracy, and any errors from the outset can lead to a host of common problems, including under-ventilation, air leakage, condensation, overheating and conflicts with existing plant structures.
Furthermore, speed is a top priority when retrofitting plants: greater efficiency allows for shutdown periods to be minimised and risks to be limited in these inhospitable environments. In short, upgrading power generation plants needs to be done safely and quickly for them to remain current and competitive. Before any installation work can begin, however, it’s essential to fully understand the plant layout and its existing components.
Plant documentation with outstanding detail
The Leica RTC360 is a reality capture solution that empowers users to document and capture their environments in 3D. By creating a virtual prototype of the building through high-performance laser scanning technology, engineering teams can be guided on their retrofit design and evaluate the impact of activities on assets, then coordinate those activities across the project team.
When replacing, updating or adding any piece of plant equipment, measurements of the available space need to be flawless to ensure the new part fits. Furthermore, when designing a new and additional plant to meet the extension requirements of a facility, the design of this equipment has to be absolutely accurate to ensure seamless installation. The RTC360 captures crisp, high-quality scans with precise detail, which is crucial for the retrofitting process. These scans can be checked and tagged on-site when combined with Leica Cyclone FIELD 360 field software app.
Capture every structural element of a plant with the RTC360:
- High-speed 3D laser scanning with integrated High-Dynamic Range (HDR) spherical imaging system.
- Complete full-dome scan in less than 2 minutes at the touch of a button, creating coloured 3D point clouds.
- Automatic point cloud alignment based on real-time tracking of scanner movement between setups based on Visual Inertial System (VIS technology).
- Integrate the 3D model seamlessly into any workflow with Leica Cyclone REGISTER 360 as part of Leica Geosystems’ Field-to-Finished solution.
The safe and easy way to document your plant
Power generation plants are hazardous environments where safety is a prime concern. Risks include moving machinery, heavy objects and corrosive materials. When it comes to safely retrofitting plant facilities, the RTC360 fulfils numerous roles.
Firstly, a complete 3D model of your site can be used to highlight danger zones, safe areas and escape routes for field crews. Knowledge of the exact layout will improve efficiency too, since more effort can be directed towards organising the project off-site, with less time wasted on plant navigation and unnecessary revisits. Teams can complete the documentation quickly and safely with the RTC360 from pre-planned secure positions, eliminating the need for man lifts and rappelling equipment.
3D plant documentation also helps engineers guarantee that installations comply with safety regulations. Furthermore, providing highly accurate as-built information saves costs at every step of the retrofitting process:
- Entire environments can be captured and measured in millimetric detail.
- With this high-quality data, stakeholders can make better-informed decisions and produce more accurate cost estimates.
- Rework can be eliminated, along with the cost of retrospective engineering.
- Installation man-hours can be reduced.
- Plants can be fully operational again much faster.
The RTC360 enables 3D reality capture in difficult environments to be faster than ever before, with a measuring rate of up to 2 million points per second. It’s also agile, being compact enough to fit into a backpack, with easy-to-use, intuitive operation. All this means that time spent on-site can be minimised and productivity maximised, so that retrofit projects on power plants can get off to the quickest and safest possible start.
Find out more about how the Leica RTC360 can help you with the retrofitting process: Learn more