Case Study: Cooling Tower Inspection Using Drone Technology at Dow Silicones, Barry
How UAV Inspection Eliminated 3,000 Scaffolding Hours and £150,000 in Access Costs
Sutro Group recently performed Global Mechanical Integrity Safety Standard (GMISS) inspections on cooling towers for Dow at their Barry, South Wales facility. The inspections required comprehensive assessment of structural timber condition, both externally and internally.
About Dow Silicones Barry
Dow combines chemistry, biology, and physics to create innovative products across several key markets. The company provides forward-thinking solutions essential to human progress in markets around the globe.
The Dow Silicones site in Barry, South Wales, is one of three Dow facilities in the UK. The site produces a wide range of products including sealants, adhesives, rubbers, lubricants, silicone oils, and solvents. These products serve various industries from electronics and automotive to construction, healthcare, and others.
Traditional Inspection Challenges
Historically, scaffolding has been the standard method for accessing internal wooden structures during cooling tower inspections. However, this approach presents significant operational challenges.
Extended Downtime: Cooling cells must remain offline throughout the entire scaffolding process—erection, inspection, and dismantling. This requirement reduces cooling capacity by one-third for the duration of works.
Extensive Access Requirements: The external structure also required full inspection. Consequently, the amount of scaffolding needed to reach each level would be enormous. Inspection areas included seven slats on both sides of the cooling tower plus the complete internal structure.
Sutro Group’s UAV Inspection Solution
Instead of using conventional scaffolding, Sutro Group’s Robotic and NDT Inspection teams deployed commercial drone technology. This approach delivered comprehensive inspection data for both internal and external structures.
Inspection Process:
We captured footage using Dow-approved drone technology. We then submitted this footage to Dow’s approved Cooling Tower Specialists for review. Subsequently, the specialists analysed the images and produced a findings report based on the drone inspection data.
Measurable Results
The drone inspection approach delivered significant operational and financial benefits:
Time Savings: The project eliminated an estimated 3,000 person-hours in scaffolding work alone.
Cost Savings: We saved approximately £150,000 in scaffolding costs. Importantly, this figure does not account for the potential loss of production rates from reduced cooling capacity that would have occurred during traditional inspection methods.
Operational Benefits: The cooling towers remained operational during the inspection. Therefore, production continued without the reduction in cooling capacity that traditional scaffolding methods would have caused.
Why Drone Technology Works for Cooling Tower Inspection
Rapid Deployment: Drones can be mobilised quickly without extensive preparation work.
Comprehensive Coverage: UAV technology accesses all external surfaces and internal structures efficiently. High-resolution cameras capture detailed imagery from multiple angles.
Minimal Disruption: Assets remain operational during inspection. Production continues uninterrupted whilst comprehensive condition assessment takes place.
GMISS Compliance: Drone inspection meets Global Mechanical Integrity Safety Standard requirements. Footage can be reviewed by approved specialists to verify compliance.
Industrial Cooling Tower Inspection Services
Sutro Group provides cooling tower inspection services for industrial sites across the UK. Our inspection capabilities use drone technology alongside traditional inspection methods where appropriate.
Dow-Approved Technology
Sutro Group’s drone inspection capabilities have been approved by Dow for cooling tower inspection applications.
Contact Sutro Group
Contact us to discuss drone inspection for your cooling tower assets: info@sutrogroup.co.uk | 0800 069 9395
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