Analysis of cooling tower’s geometry by means of geodetic and thermovision method

Abstract

Safe operation of thin-walled objects requires a regular monitoring of their technical condition. Geodetic measurements performed with a terrestrial laser scanning allow to determine the geometrical shape of the tested object with very high detail. Thermovision, as an auxiliary method, allows identification of places particularly exposed to changes in geometry caused by thermal influences. This paper presents a combination of both methods to analyse the geometry of reinforced cooling tower with a height of about 170 m. Laser scanning was performed from 11 stations arranged around the cooling tower, and the acquired point clouds were combined and unified in terms of density. Comparing the actual shape of the shell with the theoretical model, the values of geometrical imperfections were calculated. Thermograms were made by means of the thermovision camera, with particular emphasis on the lower part of the shell. The analysis of the imperfections’ distribution and the location of the largest temperature differences allowed to identify the most threatened places on the cooling tower shell.