Thickness Gauge: The Attachable Tool for Hull Inspections

Profiling the Cygnus ROV Thickness Gauge
Integrating Cygnus Gauge with Deep Trekker ROV
Other Applications of Cygnus Thickness Gauge
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Profiling the Cygnus Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) thickness gauge. Quickly identifying hull thickness and accurately locating corrosion - without removing protective coatings.

With the addition of the Cygnus ROV thickness gauge to the Deep Trekker Remotely Operated Vehicle, hull inspectors are able to provide a clear report of what is happening below the ship's surface. With many ship owners turning to the "Remote-First" method, it only makes sense to provide them with all the proper tools to get the job done; without the need of hiring divers. Since Deep Trekker underwater drones are commonplace in the shipping industry because of their ease of use and portability, mounting the Cygnus thickness gauge is the obvious choice.

Profiling the Cygnus ROV Thickness Gauge

It may be difficult to inspect the integrity of a ship's hull with sight alone. Protective coatings outline the outside of the hull to prolong its life; however, this makes it challenging to evaluate. This is where thickness gauges come in handy. cygnus-rov-thickness-gauge-echo

The Cygnus mountable ROV thickness gauge measures the metal thickness and quickly identifies locations of corrosion without removing protective coatings. By transmitting an echo, the gauge measures the density of the metal by timing the delay when the reverberation returns. To receive a discernible impression, the Cygnus thickness gauge broadcasts multiple-echoes.

The first echo determines the thickness of the protective coating. Ignoring the time delay of the protective coating for the following two echoes, the Cygnus system automatically documents the findings. With these reports, hull surveyors can accurately determine the integrity of this ship and provide an intelligent decision on a maintenance schedule.

Deep Trekker ROV Thickness Gauge

Rather than dry docking the vessel for examination, ship managers and inspectors make use of underwater drones to conduct their UWILD survey. With its unique design, outfitting the Deep Trekker ROV with the Cygnus gauge is an obvious asset. Deep Trekker's unique pitching system proves to be the ideal partner to the thickness gauge. To get a proper reading, the ROV must be able to press against the hull at many different angles.

deeptrekker-cygnus-rov-thickness-gauge The Deep Trekker Remotely Operated Vehicles, DTG3 ROV DTX2, are able to rotate its entire body 180-degress in a single position. This exclusive rotating system allows operators to get access to the ship's hull at different angles. With onboard rechargeable batteries, both ROVs are able to perform inspections for up to 8 hours on a single 90-minute charge. Since they maneuver with batteries, they require no topside power or generators to lug around the pier. Allowing the units to be completely portable.

From the handheld controller, operators can not only visually inspect the hull but also receive up-to-date readings from the thickness gauge. Once the reading has been made, the data transmitted to the surface and displayed on the transportable console.

Talk to us about using ROV add-ons to quickly identify hull thickness and corrosion

Other Applications for Metal Inspections

Outside the ship's hull is not the only object that the Cygnus thickness gauge can inspect. The inside of ballast tanks can also be visually inspected as well as their integrity reviewed with the thickness gauge. Metal water tanks and any other submerged infrastructure can be evaluated using the ROV thickness gauge attachment.