SIDCOF
Innovative penstock inspection systems
MORE EFFICIENT MAINTENANCE
The Sidcof project, selected to receive support from the French Single Interministerial Fund in 2016, will develop innovative tools and methods for:
- On-site monitoring of penstocks (cracks, leaks, thickness, deformation)
- Advanced robotic inspection inside penstocks to eliminate the need for human intervention in this complex environment
- Software and data processing to support a decision-assistance program for operators
The system aims to streamline penstock maintenance and increase hydropower equipment uptime, especially for penstocks that are difficult to access, steeply inclined, or of small diameters.
A HUGE MARKET
The project addresses huge markets that include Europe’s aging hydropower facilities and new facilities in the rest of the world and, especially, emerging countries. As an example, the facilities operated by France’s largest utility, EDF, count more than 250 km of penstocks requiring inspection and maintenance. The project would provide EDF and other operators with opportunities to streamline maintenance with an innovative toolkit for monitoring these complex infrastructures.
Certifying clusters: Tenerrdis (primary) and Pôle EAU (co-certifying).
Financers
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Council, French Single Interministerial Fund, FEDER Languedoc-Roussillon.
Project consortium
