New patented autonomous drone for pressure-regulating water tank inspection

Words By: Juida

New patented autonomous drone for pressure-regulating water tank inspection   Hokkaido Electric Power and ACSL have developed a drone capable of autonomous flight in a pressure-regulating water tank of a hydroelectric power plant, which is a non-GPS environment*   *Equipment for mitigating water hammer caused by sudden output changes such as power shutoff of a generator. It is a cylindrical structure with an inner diameter of several tens of meters and a depth of several tens of meters. Water hammer is a phenomenon in which a strong impact and high-water pressure are generated in the water pressure pipe when the water flow is suddenly shut off due to a sudden stop of the water turbine.   In order to fly stably, the drone uses the structure such as the riser pipe in the pressure-regulating water tank as a mark to determine the positional relationship with itself (patent pending: Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-000814). The idea is to improve the utilization rate of hydropower, which plays an important role in decarbonization and to improve workers’ safety.   For more info & to get in touch with HEP and ACSL, contact us at JUIDA.‬‬‬