Coal Sludge Dam Break on December 24, 2008, in Tennessee Could have been Avoided

PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 15, 2009 – The Tennessee dam damaged 15 homes.  And worse, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) said that water samples taken showed high concentrations of arsenic.  Federal / state officials urged local residents neighboring Kingston, TN, to stop drinking water from private wells or springs.

Harmonic Footprinting LLC. and its founder, Frank Masyada, have released Harmonic Footprinting and Thermal Cycling, new science for the early detection of metal fatigue.   Harmonic Footprinting can monitor dams and bridges 24/7, identifying cracks or leaks long before a fatal distaster. For more detailed understanding, see http://www.harmonicfootprinting.com

What is the problem?  Metal Fatigue due to corrosion is one of the most destructive factors leading to the catastrophic failure of infrastructure components in: Bridges, Dams, Road, Towers, High Rises, Tunnels, Water mains, Pipelines, Oil rigs, Vehicle brakes, Weapon systems, Critical machine parts, Trains, Aircraft, Ships.

Corrosion is a common problem for spillway conduits and other metal appurtenances. Corrosion is the deterioration or breakdown of metal because of a reaction to extreme stimulants, such as wind, rain, snow, etc. Exposure to moisture, acidic conditions, or salt accelerates corrosion. If corrosion is allowed to continue, metal conduits rust. The spillway must be repaired before water flows through the rusted out portion of the conduit and
erodes the fill material of the embankment.   Corrosion of critical metal parts of the operating mechanisms such as lake drain valves and sluice gates can also occur.

So much damage could have been avoided with the Tennessee Valley dam had harmonic footpriniting been monitoring the dam 24/7. The exact problems would have been identified and corrections made long before the damage occurred.

Regular dam inspection is required to detect any problems with critical metal materials. Metal pipes should be inspected for scratched or worn areas, along with corrosion buildup inside the spillway conduit.  But manual inspection is limited.  An inspector cannot identify hairline fractures with the naked eye.  That is where Harmonic Footprinting thrives.

Imagine monitoring an entire dam 24 / 7 with alerts issued identifying the exact location(s) on the structure whenever the dam’s metal was so corrosive it could no longer function as intended.

Harmonic Footprinting and Frank Masyada developed “Smart Sensors” and associated software that can measure the degree of Metal Fatigue without having to actually remove the metal from service.  How does Harmonic Footprinting work?

Consider a tuning fork.  Strike the fork on the table.  It vibrates and produces a sound or harmonic. All metal (tuning forks are metal) has a unique harmonic (frequency and amplitude).  Strike (or ping) the metal and it will emit a harmonic. Harmonic Footprinting developed “Smart Sensors” and software that can record harmonics.  

SmartSensors are attached to critical infrastructure components (such as bridge or dam metal joints).  Each SmartSensor is able to ping the metal to which it is attached and transmit the resultant harmonic software database for recording.  

Dams are comprised of critical metal parts.  A SmartSensor is installed at each critical location.  During the first month after installation, the SmartSensor continuously pings the metal and transmits harmonics back to the central software.  The software records the transmissions and establishes a range of harmonics for that metal.   The SmartSensor continues to transmit harmonics 24/7 to the software for comparison.  If the software finds that the new harmonics being transmitted are beyond the range established within the first month, the software assumes that the metal has fatigued or corroded and alerts the crew that the location needs to be manually inspected.

If the Tennessee Dam that collapsed on December 24, 2008 had “Smart Sensors” installed at the critical locations and been under Harmonic Footprinting monitoring, the Metal Fatigue would have been identified early on, the metal replaced without injury, loss of life, or toxins in the water streams.