Episode 122 | Power Partnerships | PowerGen+ Series (Live)
I started this podcast to shine a positive light on our most critical fleet of power plants—nuclear, natural gas, and coal—as well as oil and gas.
This infrastructure is the backbone of reliable energy for everyone. Inevitably they have to go down, most of the time for maintenance and inspections. The status quo has always been performing these inspections manually—usually with a brave inspector climbing inside a cramped space or dangling from a dizzying height.
Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics has developed a solution to change that. Founded in 2013, they rely on software and wall-climbing robots to gather data.
COO and Co-Founder Troy Demmer says the problem came to them. While still students at Grove City College, Troy and Co-Founder Jake Loosararian were approached by a power plant operator in search of a solution. Troy recalls that operator even saying back then, “Probably a wall-climbing robot would be a pretty good solution.”
Troy insists the software and data provided to their 150 clients is the service. The robots are simply the means of gathering it. The secret to their wall and pipe-climbing ability are rare-earth magnets. Troy says nearly all structures like these have a magnetic component or two.
Once attached, the robots conduct visual inspections, gather positional data, and “ping” the surfaces with ultrasonic measurements. “That ultimately enables the customer to have a full picture and X-Ray through to their assets to understand what exactly we’re looking at,” says Troy.
I was curious why Gecko wasn’t considering drones, particularly on some of the taller structures. Troy says the key to this data is coming into physical contact with the surfaces. In some cases, he says, the damage could be inside the metal.
By gathering more data at a time, this allows two things, 1) Greater efficiency of robots while plants are down, 2) Can also perform inspections while assets are still online, eliminating need to take it offline in first place
I was curious how a young company like Gecko was able to get a foothold in an industry that can be remarkably conservative, given the equipment at stake.
“We are a young company and spaces—for a lot of good reasons—stick to the status quo,” Troy admits. At the time of this episode, Gecko has 150 clients. He says they emphasize not only better data collection, but the benefits of their methodology, i.e. cost savings, increased revenues, decreased downtimes.
In addition to tanks, boilers, and pipes, Troy also hopes to expand into other energy sectors like biomass, hydroelectric, and wind. You can bet if it needs to be scaled, Gecko will find a way.
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