Voith Hydro and STRUCINSPECT collaborate to maximize potential of hydropower stations

Drone view of a hydropower dam

(IN BRIEF) Hydroelectric equipment supplier, Voith Hydro, has partnered with Austrian start-up STRUCINSPECT to improve the digital inspection and management of hydropower stations. STRUCINSPECT’s Infrastructure Lifecycle Hub is being used to maintain dams, bridges, and tunnels in a safe, sustainable, and resource-saving manner. The companies are carrying out a joint pilot project in Scotland to inspect the 72-year-old Clunie station using drones, underwater devices, or smartphones to collect data. The information is then analyzed by AI and a 3D model is created to assist engineers’ maintenance decisions.

(PRESS RELEASE) HEIDENHEIM/ VIENNA, 14-Mar-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — The Voith Group, a global technology company announces that Voith Hydro, one of the leading suppliers of hydroelectric equipment, has partnered with the Austrian corporate start-up STRUCINSPECT to maximize the potential of hydropower stations. STRUCINSPECT offers the world’s first Infrastructure Lifecycle Hub for digital infrastructure inspection and lifecycle management, a web-based collaboration platform that combines technologies to maintain bridges, tunnels, and dams in a safe, sustainable, and resource-saving manner. The solution is already applied in the transportation infrastructure sector, and now there is immense potential for hydropower dams.

A joint pilot project is being carried out in Scotland, where Voith Hydro and STRUCINSPECT are taking the inspection of the 72-year-old Clunie station to the next level. The initial data can be collected by drones, underwater devices, or smartphones and transferred to the Infrastructure Lifecycle Hub, where it is analyzed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a 3D model is created. Digital inspections will be performed in shorter intervals with less manual effort, and even the smallest changes will be identified by the AI-assisted damage detection. This analysis will serve as a base for engineers’ maintenance decisions and focus resources on core elements.

“The idea is simple and at the same time ingenious. While it has been very complicated to literally keep an eye on your infrastructure, the digital assessment and tracking of civil conditions is now not only made easier but also safer,” commented Voith Hydro CTO Dr. Norbert Riedel.

“We are excited about the new opportunities this technology brings and happy with the two companies we have on board for its implementation. With this approach, we have all data managed centrally and generate measurable business value out of it,” said Stephen Crooks, Renewables (Civil) Engineer at SSE.

“Currently, inspections of the civil infrastructure at Clunie take place physically. However, problems might occur in case damages are not spotted during such manual inspections. And this is exactly where the benefits of our digital inspection technology comes into play,” added Albrecht Karlusch, Managing Director at STRUCINSPECT.