Nobody has to enter the structure
No climbing on a safety line between wet beams: the drone flies, your staff stay at the access point.
Cooling tower inspection by drone: inspect structure and internals without going in
Internal inspection of cell-type cooling towers and natural draught cooling towers with the Flyability ELIOS 3. The drone flies through the structure beneath the fan, along the water distribution and drift eliminators and into the shell. You receive photos, videos and a 3D point cloud with located findings – without scaffolding, without an aerial work platform, without anyone climbing into the cramped, wet structure.
- Nobody climbs into the structure
- Cell out of service only briefly: hours instead of days
- Findings located in the 3D point cloud
A selection of Kopterflug clients and partners – operators in steel, chemicals, energy and logistics
The structure beneath the fan is recorded without anyone climbing in
Christian EngelkeGet in touch with our experts:[email protected]
Beneath the fan of a cell-type cooling tower it is cramped, dark and wet. Anyone who wants to see beams, connections and internals at close range traditionally climbs through the structure on a safety line or has scaffolding erected. With the Flyability ELIOS 3 none of this is needed: the drone takes off in the cooling tower basin, flies with its own lighting through the structure up to the underside of the fan and produces a 3D point cloud as it goes. The protective cage absorbs light contact with beams. Your staff stay outside the structure.
Every beam instead of spot checks
Columns, cross beams, connections and internals of the entire cell – recorded without gaps, every anomaly located in the 3D point cloud.
Inspection costs up to 80% lower
Scaffolding and aerial work platforms are not needed for the visual inspection. Your inspection costs can fall by up to 80%.
What plants look like inside – footage from our inspections
Does your cooling tower qualify? These types and components we fly
We fly cooling towers in power stations, chemical plants and industry:
- Cell-type cooling towers: structure beneath the fan made of concrete, steel, timber or plastic
- Internals: water distribution with nozzles, drift eliminators and the visible surface of the fill
- Fan and fan cowl from below
- Natural draught cooling towers: inside of the shell, internals and their supporting structure
- Shell from the outside: with the DJI M30T, usually without shutting down the cooling tower
On request, we inspect the cooling tower basin underwater with our underwater drone.
Corrosion, cracks, loose connections: see what your contractor needs to repair
The ELIOS 3 shows the visible condition of the structure and internals. Typical findings are:
- Cracks, spalling and exposed reinforcement on the concrete of the shell, columns and cross beams
- Corrosion on steel beams, fasteners and bolted connections
- Loose, displaced or broken beams and connections
- Displaced or damaged drift eliminators and fill at the surface
- Deposits, growth and fouling
- Damage to distribution pipes and nozzles
- Visible damage to fan blades and the fan cowl
Every finding appears in the inspection report with a photo and its position in the 3D point cloud. This lets your contractor find the beam or connection in the cell again – including at the next inspection.
Only the cell being flown is stopped
With cell-type cooling towers, you shut down the cell we are flying. Whether the others keep running is up to your operations team.
Several cells in one visit
We fly cells one after another: one goes back into service, the next is shut down and released.
Every finding easy to locate again
The ELIOS 3 produces a 3D point cloud showing the flight path and the position of every finding.
Your contacts from permit to inspection report
- Christian Engelke
Philipp von der Born
Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. (FH) Juliana Engelke
Stefan Wolf
We plan cooling tower inspections together with your maintenance and operations teams – since 2017, with our own pilots and the Flyability ELIOS 3.
Every defect with a photo and its position – your expert assessor knows where to start
We fly – Inspectomatic, the reporting arm of our group of companies, analyses and produces your inspection report in the browser, with nothing to install: photos, videos, a 3D point cloud and located findings – per cell, per cooling tower or per flight and, on request, compared with earlier inspections. The point cloud can be exported in common formats for CAD, BIM or your maintenance software. The 3D point cloud with all located findings is produced by Inspectomatic – more on this at inspectomatic.de/punktwolken (in German). You will find more background on the analysis of cooling towers and a project example from a cooling tower on inspectomatic.de (in German).
We do not produce assessments or expert reports. These are prepared by your expert assessors or specialist firms you appoint, on the basis of the report.
Shorter shutdowns for your cooling tower cells – write to us using the contact form.
The drone records the structure, your inspector measures where it matters – how the two complement each other
The drone is better where access and overview are concerned:
- It reaches beams beneath the fan, internals and the upper shell without scaffolding, aerial work platforms or climbing.
- Nobody has to enter the cramped, wet structure or work at height.
- It records the entire cell without gaps instead of spot checks.
- Every anomaly is located in the 3D point cloud.
- The flight can be repeated: corrosion and deposits can be compared over the years.
People are better where contact with the component and decisions are concerned:
- Measurements on the component: hammer testing, residual wall thickness, concrete testing, tightening torques
- Water samples and laboratory values for hygiene
- Assessment of findings, expert reports and decisions on repair and continued operation
The drone takes care of visual inspection and mapping; your expert assessor tests specifically at the points our report marks. Our article on non-destructive testing gives an overview of these methods.
What your cooling tower needs for the flight – and where the drone reaches its limits
- Shut down and secured: for the internal flight, the cell is out of service, the fan is stopped and locked out against restarting, the water distribution is switched off and the cell is released.
- Access: the drone takes off in the cooling tower basin or at an inspection opening. We agree the take-off point in advance using drawings or photos.
- Visibility: steam, plumes from neighbouring cells and dripping water limit visibility. Areas without usable images are noted in the report.
- Tight internals: the drone cannot fly through densely packed fill and drift eliminators. We record their visible surface from above and below.
- Surface only: the drone sees the surface. Concrete testing, wall thickness and water samples are handled by your inspector.
Plan your next shutdown shorter – request a cooling tower inspection
Tell us the asset and the occasion, and we will tell you which recordings and which report make sense.
Initial consultation: 30 minutes by video, pick a time directly.
- We look forward to your enquiry and will get back to you promptly.
Or write to us
Frequently asked questions
Does the whole cooling tower have to be shut down?
With cell-type cooling towers, only the cell we fly from the inside; whether the other cells keep running is up to your operations team. We fly a natural draught cooling tower from the inside only when it is out of service. The outer shell can usually be flown while the tower is running.
Can you also inspect the cooling tower basin underwater?
Yes. We inspect the basin and pond with our underwater drone without the water having to be drained. Murky water limits visibility; the sonar then shows outlines and distances.
What happens if the drone touches a beam in the structure?
The protective cage absorbs light contact, and the drone keeps flying. We choose the flight path through the structure so that the drone keeps its distance wherever the gaps allow.
Do you also fly the outer shell of a natural draught cooling tower?
Yes. We fly the outer shell with the DJI M30T. Plumes and wind limit visibility and flight; we therefore set the date according to the weather and operations.
Is the moisture in the cell a problem for the drone?
Humid air and wet surfaces are normal in a shut-down cell. The water distribution must be switched off; where water is still dripping, this limits visibility. Areas without usable images are noted in the inspection report.
Can inspections be compared over several years?
Yes. Because we capture each cell as a 3D point cloud, the same beams and connections can be compared side by side over the years. On request, we include the comparison with earlier inspections in the inspection report; the assessment stays with your expert assessor.
Do your own pilots fly, and do you offer training?
Inspection flights in cooling tower cells require experience – which is why our own pilots fly on our jobs. We do not offer pilot training. If you have your own ELIOS 3, we are happy to advise you on using it.