Squamish, British Columbia – January 2007
A milestone in ROV tunnel inspection services was reached in January when CAN-DIVE Construction Ltd of North Vancouver, B.C., hired Michigan-based ROV services company SeaView Systems, Inc. to perform a 9000 ft internal inspection of the Mamquam Hydroelectric generating facility tunnel for the Canadian company EPCOR Power LP.
The Mamquam hydro intake tunnel, located in a mountainous area near the world renowned Whistler/Blackhome ski area, required that the ROV be operated through two long horizontal sections connected by a vertical shaft with a minimum diameter of 10 feet. The project required a compact but powerful vehicle with both long distance pulling capacity and the ability to work at depths in excess of 250m (820 feet). SeaView Systems’ 1000 meter (3280 feet) rated Seaeye Falcon DR was upgraded to suit the needed custom built 10,000 ft fiber optic umbilical with winch. This system proved able to carry out this inspection to the satisfaction of the owner.
Despite having a 520 ft vertical shaft with two hard 90 degree bends, the inspection almost doubled the previous maximum penetration distance record for a Seaeye Falcon.
