Photo By Daniel DeAngelis | Refueling Security Branch (Code 1124) Drone Operator and Assistant Fuel Security...... read more read more
Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) recently saw a win with its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) program for an exhaust ventilation inspection for USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). The team was called in for assistance, the drones taking to the sky to get the job done safely and efficiently.
“We needed to perform a material condition assessment inspection in an area on the exterior of the ship underneath the flight deck to ensure quality was up to standard and that there were no visible issues. It's a hard-to-reach area that would be impossible to address in the past without scaffolding being set up or using fall protection and rigging,” said Nuclear Fluid Systems and Mechanical Engineering Division (Code 2320) Nuclear Engineer Iain Tartal. “We wanted to approach the inspection in a way that would not only save us time and money but also protect our employees from performing work in hazardous areas.”
Tartal reached out to Refueling Security Branch Head (Code 1124) Rob Hale and the UAV team to see if the inspection could be performed with a drone, the first time the technology would be used aboard a vessel stationed at NNSY.
“We got all the permissions in place and put in a flight request within the 24-hour window to the Aircraft Reporting Custodian (ARC), Security Director Steve White,” said Code 1124 Drone Operator and Assistant Fuel Security Officer John Powell. “Once approved, we were on scene within the time window for that day and in the sky for fourteen minutes, completing the inspection with our drone's 4K camera.”
What would have taken days or weeks to prepare for, whether it be with scaffolding or fall protection, was now able to be accomplished in under an hour, with significant cost and time savings for the shipyard as a whole. What's more, employees did not have to perform potentially hazardous work performing inspections in hard-to-reach areas.
“One of the big wins with being able to use drones is that this technology allows us to get a closer look at these components that we otherwise wouldn't get to see unless there were known issues ahead of time,” said Tartal. “It reduces the overall risk to our employees as well as the availability at large by helping us find potential issues sooner and addressing those issues head-on. Our Navy's fleet has areas all over the vessels that are hard to address and being able to use drones would make the job easier and ensure our personnel are protected.”
“With drone technology, we have the potential to perform inspections throughout the facility as well as shipboard, and surveillances,” said Hale. “In addition, we have still photography capabilities for up to 21 megapixels as well as 4K video capabilities. We're almost completely setup to perform 2D mapping and 3D modeling capabilities as well. Our team is continuously looking for ways to expand and assist the shipyard in whatever we can.”
Powell added, "Other applications we've previously done include using thermal cameras to locate leaks on roofs as well as assess damage across the shipyard following a destructive storm. We're here and available to assist our fellow shipyarders and service our fleet.”
Interested in reaching out to the UAV team to discuss ways to utilize the drone technology? Contact Hale at robert.w.hale1.civ@us.navy.mil. To learn more about the NNSY Technology and Innovation (T&I) Lab or the REAL Ideas Program, email NNSY_REALIdeas@navy.mil, contact (757)-396-7180, or stop by the lab in Bldg. 31.
| Date Taken: | 03.31.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.31.2022 14:48 |
| Story ID: | 417583 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 451 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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