Challenge
Accurately document the inside of a collector in a confined space, including sediment level and the condition of the safety gates, without putting the technical team at risk.
Case study · Catalan Water Agency
3D scanning of a sewer collector in a confined space.
3D laser scanning with a Leica RTC360 of a water collector in Sant Feliu de Llobregat (Barcelona), to assess sediment levels and the condition of the safety gates. Commissioned by SBS for the Agència Catalana de l'Aigua (Catalan Water Agency), with confined space access secured by Vertisub — lifeline, rescue cover and oxygen monitoring.
Sediment and safety gates inside a collector.
The collector is part of a drainage system managed by the Catalan Water Agency. Before planning any work on the accumulated sediment or on the safety gates, SBS — the engineering firm running the project — needed an accurate record of the real state inside: geometry, sediment level and the condition of the mechanical elements.
Work carried out
3D laser scanning of the whole collector with a Leica RTC360, with confined space access secured by Vertisub.
Result
A millimetre-accurate point cloud that lets SBS and the Catalan Water Agency measure the real sediment level and plan work on the gates without going back to the site.
A collector is a confined space.
A collector carries the classic confined space risks: restricted access, an atmosphere that is not always breathable, and limited egress in an emergency. The scan was carried out with the support of Vertisub, specialists in confined space and underwater intervention, who provided the lifeline, rescue team and continuous oxygen monitoring while the LAURIA ESCÁNER team captured every surface with the Leica RTC360.
Lifeline
A permanent link between the technician and the surface throughout the capture.
Rescue team
Rescue personnel and equipment on standby for the whole intervention.
Oxygen monitoring
Continuous control of the internal atmosphere before and during entry.
A technical base for SBS and the Catalan Water Agency.
From the capture we produced the deliverables the technical team needs to decide how and when to intervene on the collector.
Asset data
- Complete point cloud of the collector interior.
- Measurement of the volume and distribution of accumulated sediment.
- Documentation of the condition of the safety gates.
What the client gets from it
- A basis for planning sediment removal without surprises.
- Remote verification of the gates with no further confined space entry.
- Technical documentation shared between SBS and the Catalan Water Agency.
Technology used on this case.
This kind of project combines terrestrial laser scanning, specialist confined space safety and digital review of the result.
Questions about this case.
What is confined space 3D scanning?
It is 3D laser scanning of the inside of a space with restricted access and limited ventilation — a sewer collector, a tank, a chamber — where team safety governs the work just as much as the scanning technique itself.
Why scan a collector before removing sediment?
Scanning gives an exact figure for the volume and distribution of the sediment, and for the condition of the mechanical elements (gates, seals), before anyone intervenes. That avoids decisions based on a partial visual inspection, and removes the need for a second entry just to re-measure.
How is safety guaranteed when scanning inside a collector?
With a lifeline, a rescue team and continuous oxygen monitoring throughout the intervention, run by specialists in confined spaces, while the LAURIA ESCÁNER team captures the point cloud.
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