Our team of professionals recently completed a comprehensive hands-on inspection and assessment of a 135ft tall by 55ft diameter surge tank at a hydropower facility in SE Pennsylvania.  The project commenced with an internal climbing inspection performed by our Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT)-certified licensed engineers and team, enabling a thorough examination of the tank’s interior surfaces. This inspection provided crucial first-hand data for subsequent analysis.

Following the hands-on assessment, our engineering team created an in-depth Finite Element Model (FEM) of the tank. This advanced computational approach created a detailed digital representation of the surge tank’s structure, allowing us to evaluate its integrity under various load scenarios and stress conditions.

By combining physical inspection with sophisticated computer modeling, we gained a comprehensive understanding of the surge tank’s current state and long-term reliability. This dual approach enabled us to identify immediate structural concerns, predict future maintenance needs, and assess the tank’s capacity to handle varying operational demands under its partially deteriorated condition.

The completed assessment of the surge tank provides critical insights for the ongoing management of this essential hydroelectric infrastructure and to help the asset owner plan for future repairs or replacement of the structure. The detailed analysis and recommendations resulting from this project will contribute significantly to the hydropower facility’s safe, efficient, and long-term operation, ensuring its continued service to the community and the energy sector.