KEY POINTS:
A power company in Queensland is set to start trials of a portable x-ray created by New Zealanders to detect whether poles are rotten at the base.
The PortaScan device is about the size of a lunchbox, weighs just 3kg and gives an instant reading on the stability of wood at the base of a power pole.
The device was created after more than a decade of research at state science company GNS Science. Scientists there have also adapted the software to a bigger device to test the stability of larger wooden structures such as bridges.
GNS "Isoscan" section manager Gavin Wallace said the scanner was a quantum leap for an industry which had checked the safety of power poles by boring a hole in the wood and making a visual check.
"Our device is quick and easy to use and, being non-invasive, it eliminates the problem of weakening the power pole by drilling holes in it.
"The traditional methods of testing are also very hit and miss, and can mean power poles are replaced, at significant cost, when it's not necessary."
Visual checks could also leave some poles with internal defects in service.
Isoscan spokesman Joe Manning said Australia had 12 million wooden power poles which needed inspection every five years.
The company is promoting the technology to New Zealand companies and US companies have expressed an interest.
Mr Manning said: "It can be used to test any wooden structure."
- NZPA
