Renewable Energy Technology – Brazil

Hibbard Inshore’s ROV technology is enabling robots to carry out underwater assessments for hydropower and offshore renewable energy plants.

Renewable Energy Technology – India

Hibbard Inshore’s ROV technology is enabling robots to carry out underwater assessments for hydropower and offshore renewable energy plants.

Hibbard Inshore-Sidescan Sonar Surveys

Sidescan Sonar Surveys

Long Range Sewer Influent Tunnel with Shotcrete Liner

In this case, a metropolitan sewer department had an influent tunnel that had a distance of approximately 8,000 feet between available access points. The tunnel had a poured in place concrete liner for the first 50 feet with shotcrete lining the rock cut tunnel for the remainder of the distance. The tunnel was expected to be 60% full and flowing during the inspection. The customer wanted to assess the tunnel lining condition above the waterline and to assess debris or sedimentation below the waterline. The customer also wanted to look through the lining if possible to detect the presence of any support structures or voids behind the liner.

Float In Flowing Tunnel

Hibbard Inshore has vehicles for fully flooded, partially flooded, and dry scenarios, and in this case chose to use a large floating vehicle due to its ability as a platform for inspection both above and below the waterline. The float was outfitted with 8,000 feet of umbilical tether in order to provide real time data during the inspection along with multiple cameras, lighting, sonar to dimension debris below the water’s surface, and two ground penetrating radar antennas on masts to roll along the tunnel liner. The GPR antennas were of different frequencies to look through the liner to different depths. The inspection showed that the liner was present and still bonded to the rock but had some signs of deterioration while the tunnel was relatively free from major debris or sedimentation.

Pipelines 2016

Exhibition | July 17-20, 2016
Kansas City, Missouri

HydroVision 2016

Exhibition | July 26-29, 2016
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Hydro 2016

Exhibition | October 10-12, 2016
Montreux, Switzerland

Jay K. Hibbard

President and Chief Engineer of Vehicle Systems

With 22 years of ROV experience, Jay Hibbard is an ADCI certified ROV supervisor has been a lead pilot for 16 years and a project manager for 13 years. His ROV operation/supervision experience ranges from open water live boating structural inspection in the ocean to long tunnel internal inspections in power tunnels, penstocks, aqueducts, and outfalls with zero visibility. Mr. Hibbard is a graduate of the College of Engineering, Automotive Engineering Technology at Western Michigan University.

Bradley L. Hibbard

President and Chief Applications Engineer

With 22 years of ROV experience, Brad Hibbard is an ADCI certified ROV Supervisor, has been a lead pilot for 16 years and a project manager for 13 years. The majority of that time he spent on inshore structural inspection including hydroelectric plants, nuclear plants, large water intake systems, large sewers, treatment plants, and ocean outfalls. He is a graduate of the College of Engineering, Dept. of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. Brad Hibbard is 40 hour Hazwoper and Confined Entry trained.

Jim L. Hibbard

Director – Business Development and Senior Project Manager

Jim Hibbard is an ADCI certified ROV Supervisor with 32 years of experience in the underwater industry with ROV systems. The majority of that time he spent on inshore structural inspection and maintenance, including hydroelectric plants, nuclear plants, large water intake systems, oxygen diffuser systems, large sewers, treatment plants, and ocean outfalls. He has completed certificated ASNT instruction, FAA repairman certification, and is a graduate of Western Michigan University. Jim Hibbard founded the company in 1984.