HDS Scanning Improves Efficiency at Utah Power Planttest

By Ed Sullivan

July 2014

MWH Americas Inc., a subsidiary of MWH Global, recently undertook the renovation of a hydroelectric power plant operated by the city of Logan in northern Utah.

“We needed to evaluate some existing structures, including a powerhouse that is about 100 years old,” says Stan Postma, vice president of the Utah-based engineering services firm. “I knew about HDS type of scanning and thought it would be a good application for the project. So we engaged McNeil Engineering’s HDS team to do that for us. This service captured all of the information about the building in a very quick and efficient manner, enabling us to plan around the existing structure with very accurate information.”

McNeil Engineering in Sandy, Utah, is a multi-faceted firm that performs HDS scanning, as well as other survey-related services, civil engineering, structural engineering, consulting and landscape architecture. The city of Logan also commissioned MWH to survey an existing dam that is going through some design modifications near the powerhouse site, Postma says, adding that the 3D data the HDS system provided also was helpful in planning that project.

This data enabled Postma’s staff to put the dam into 3D animation so they could view it from any angle, he says, adding this was a useful tool because it provided a precise reference and eliminated the need to send personnel to the site for visual confirmations.

“We’re going to end up with savings on change orders and construction efficiencies all around,” Postma says. “Having all the information available in such great detail is going to save money. HDS scanning is a very cost-efficient tool.”