Industries
Dams

MISTRAS offers asset protection solutions to meet the inspection, evaluation, maintenance, and condition-monitoring needs of dams and related componentry.

Dams undergo intense stress and pressure from operation and environmental factors, so they require regular inspection and review to ensure their structural and operational integrity.

Subsea assets are at high risk of corrosion and erosion, which can worsen over time and cause serious damage if undetected. Concrete dams can also fail due to design deficiencies, poor construction, insufficient materials, and use-related degradation, including:

• Freezing and thawing
• Weathering
• Chemical attack
• Cracking and broken concrete from instability
• Corrosion in reinforced concrete
• Erosion from use over time

With a robust array of non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection capabilities, technicians can service dams to ensure that flaws and damage are detected and located as soon as they occur, ensuring public safety, efficient operation, and better planning and repair strategies.

MISTRAS combines our inspection, maintenance, and monitoring solutions to help design a comprehensive assessment, maintenance, and defect-prevention plan to help your dams remain safe, structurally-sound, and in optimal working condition.

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Dam Inspection Services

Basic visual inspections are often times not sufficient as the only level of inspection for dams of any construction or material. Defects and damage can accumulate in places that are hard or impossible to see, risking cracking, corrosion, or even complete asset failure by the time damage becomes visible.

NDT inspection and evaluation can help owners thoroughly and accurately assess their asset’s condition, so defects and damage never come as a surprise. MISTRAS offers multiple NDT techniques for hydro dam main gate girders; radial and outlet tainter gates; and steel, concrete and wood structures, including:

• Visual Testing (VT)
• Ultrasonic Testing (UT) Including; Thickness
• Ultrasonic Shear Wave
• Phased Array (PAUT)
• Magnetic Particle (MT)
• Strain Gauge Testing
• Impact-Echo Assessments
• Spectral Analysis
• Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)

Monitoring and Maintenance Services for Dams

MISTRAS offers advanced monitoring and maintenance capabilities for dams so that both structural and operational integrity are continually assessed and maintained for the entirety of a dam’s lifetime.

Our repair services for dams include:

• Torque testing and replacement of bolts
• Cleaning and debris removal
• Coating repair
• Welding and electrical services
• Rope access rigging and anchor installation
• Monitoring system and sensor installation

Our maintenance teams can also install one of MISTRAS’ online monitoring systems, which monitor asset health while dams remain in service to ensure dam operators are alerted to cracking and fatigue in real time, before damages can worsen.

Rope Access, Diving, and Drone Access Services for Dams

No matter the location, configuration, or other qualities of the dam being serviced, MISTRAS has the access capabilities to meet the needs of all dams. We offer rope access, diving, and subsea drones to ensure that every part of dams and spillways are observed and inspected.

Our rope access technicians are trained, certified, and backed by years of industry experience, working in collaboration with facility personnel to ensure that all needed procedures and services are able to be performed.

Our subsea drones are able to assess and inspect penstocks, reservoirs, dam faces, and other underwater obstacles.