#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The center for monitoring buildings and structures of the Nornickel’s Polar Division has got a first-degree diploma at the 10th International professional competition in the Best Project in the Field of Engineering Surveys, Including Methodological and Technological Work.
The daily work of the Norilsk monitoring center is to monitor the condition of Nornickel production facilities. Among them, for example, is monitoring the TPP-1 boiler house’s peak chimney deviation from the vertical.
The 105-meter-high pipe inspection is carried out using a scanner with coordinate reference and several geodetic instruments. The scanning equipment catches a dense cloud of points in the coordinate system with a laser, and during further processing in a computer program, possible changes in different sections of the pipe and its deviations from the center are established. The equipment’s accuracy allows establishing the dynamics of possible processes at the facility.
The structure condition is constantly monitored in accordance with safety requirements and technical documentation standards. Previously, this was done using a geodetic theodolite, but now modern digital devices have come to the aid of specialists, and allow speeding up the research process and making it more accurate. This plays a decisive role in low temperature conditions, when it comes not only to the safety of equipment, but also to the people’s state.
Automated monitoring of objects in the Nornickel’s Polar Branch is now carried out using special sensors, which are a full-fledged aid in monitoring. One of the implemented monitoring system’s effectiveness typical examples is the copper plant’s sports complex building. Here, in 2020, defects were found in the underground on the foundations that threatened the structure operation, which could cause deformation of the entire building.
In 2022, work began to strengthen the structures and foundations: the reinforcement was cleaned from corrosion, additional reinforced rods were installed, the cross-section of the supporting structures was increased and the foundation was strengthened. At present, the sports center building is fully operational, and the risk of destruction due to the foundation is excluded.
The monitoring is carried out by about 90 employees of the monitoring center, and the plans for 2024 include monitoring more than 600 buildings and structures in the Norilsk industrial region, where at least a third are equipped with automated control systems.
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Text: Denis Kozhevnikov, Photo: author
