MURGATROYD'S BRINE PUMPS - The last of their kind

Trial of a Submersible Camera in the Brine Shaft 

The Trust will be carrying out a photographic survey of the Murgatroyd Brine Shaft using a submersible camera mounted on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). A trial was carried out on 26th Oct to assess the clarity of the brine, and the quality of pictures which might be obtained.

For the trial, a camera and light were mounted on a hand-held pole lowered into the shaft. The pole was in sections, allowing the camera to be lowered to an approximate depth of 12m from the pump room floor.

There was a surprising quantity of suspended material and all objects in the shaft were covered with an accumulation of silt. Because of the long pole, it was not possible to accurately control the camera position, which accounts for the odd angle of some of the photos. Had the camera been mounted on an ROV, its position could have been more accurately controlled.

However, visibility was adequate to locate and observe items in the shaft. Any silt disturbed cleared quickly, allowing closeup views to be obtained. 

The trial lasted approximately one hour, during which several interesting objects were located and examined. A video record was made of the trial, from which a number of stills were taken - one of which is shown here..

The quality and clarity of the original video is better than the quality of the stills, and it is considered that a survey using an ROV would give sufficient information to assess the condition of the shaft and rising mains.

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