Hydro Electric
Penstock descaling, intake gate clearing, and turbine maintenance.
Penstock descaling, intake gate clearing, and turbine maintenance.
Hydroelectric Power Generation Infrastructure
Penstock descaling, intake gate clearing, turbine runner maintenance, and tailrace desilting.
Hydroelectric generating stations face chronic hydraulic drag, penstock pitting, and intake obstruction from heavy zebra mussel colonies, calcium encrustations, and submerged silt accumulation.
Chow Marine deploys specialized confined-space hydro-blasting rigs and diver-assisted underwater tooling engineered specifically for deep penstocks, scroll cases, draft tubes, and trash racks. Restoring penstock hydraulic smoothness directly reduces head loss and delivers measurable gains in megawatt output efficiency.
Our field units feature high-thrust rotational nozzle heads mounted on magnetic crawler tracks that navigate steep vertical penstocks and headrace tunnels without requiring expensive, time-consuming full scaffolding erection. The crawler heads strip hardened calcification, zebra mussels, and failing coal-tar coatings down to sound steel.
In subsea tailraces and flooded intake structures, our commercial diving divisions work seamlessly with surface UHP pumps to clear gate tracks and hydraulic guide slots, ensuring emergency headgates seat with zero water bypass.
Dewatering & Lockout Inspection
Confirmation of headgate lockouts, penstock dewatering, acoustic resonance testing, and biofouling thickness mapping.
Penstock Crawler Rigging
Deployment of specialized tethered magnetic climbing crawlers equipped with multi-orifice 35,000 PSI rotary stripping heads.
Continuous Hydro-Descaling
Removal of calcified encrustations, invasive mussel beds, and aged coatings down to SSPC-SP 12 WJ-2 white-metal standards.
Flow Efficiency Profiling
Laser surface profile measurement, turbine clearance verification, and intake gate functional seating certification.
| Penstock Diameters | 1.2m – 8.5m Bore |
| Crawler Reach | Up to 600m Continuous |
| Hydro Pressure | 25,000 – 40,000 PSI |
| Diving Support | Surface-Supplied Air/Nitrox |
| Biomass Recovery | 99.8% Vacuum Collection |
Twin Penstock De-fouling at Great Lakes Hydro Station
Rapid descaling of 320 meters of 4.2-meter diameter penstock steel walls choked with 75mm of invasive zebra and quagga mussel biomass.
01
How do you prevent dislodged mussel biomass from contaminating downstream waterways?
add
How do you prevent dislodged mussel biomass from contaminating downstream waterways?
All dislodged biomass is vacuum-extracted continuously at the bottom of the penstock or draft tube through high-capacity slurry collection pumps and processed through our mobile solid-liquid separation containers.
02
What is the maximum vertical incline your crawler systems can climb?
add
What is the maximum vertical incline your crawler systems can climb?
Our magnetic crawler systems maintain 1,200 kg of magnetic adhesion force per track assembly, enabling them to ascend 90-degree vertical penstock shafts and overhanging scroll cases with complete stability.
03
Do your procedures comply with provincial dam safety regulations?
add
Do your procedures comply with provincial dam safety regulations?
Yes. All procedures are reviewed and approved by structural engineers and comply with the Ontario Dam Safety Guidelines and Canadian Dam Association standards.
Ready To Mobilize Crew & Tooling?
Connect directly with our Hamilton operations superintendent for emergency rapid mobilization, site evaluation, and firm engineering proposals.