A specialty chemical company had three centrifuges in a 200,000-SF warehouse facility that needed to be replaced or rehabilitated. The client requested a 3D scan to better identify the location of all the centrifuges, since no as-built plans existed. The replacement/rehabilitation was going to be complex because of the amount of piping and electrical work, so RETTEW needed to strategically navigate and plan around various obstacles. The revision took place on the second floor of an older building, creating the possibility of vibration issues for the images captured during the scan. The project was supposed to happen during a shutdown, but circumstances changed, so they had to do it right away, while the plant was operating.

Using a control network and visual targets, RETTEW obtained millimeter accuracy, collecting approximately 1 billion data points. From those, we generated a comprehensive model based on what the client needed. The data RETTEW collected in the environment can be used in multiple applications down the road. The client will now be able to complete the centrifuge replacement with minimal disruptions to the chemical plant’s operations, and possess data from this section of the plant to help with facility management in the future.