SPECIALISED DRONE SERVICES
REMOVING RISK WITH ROBOTICS
Asset Inspections
With our advanced drone technology, including high-resolution cameras, specialised sensors, and experienced operators, many industries can avoid plant shutdowns during inspections, significantly reduce routine maintenance time, and minimise the resources and costs associated with both planned and unplanned inspections.
Drone operations eliminate the need for traditional methods such as scaffolding, rope access, and working at heights—approaches that are often costly, time-consuming, and hazardous. Below are examples of how our services can make your inspections safer, faster, and smarter.
Enhanced Safety:
Our drone inspections reduce the need for personnel to access hazardous or hard-to-reach areas, minimising the risk of accidents and injuries, especially in industries like construction, energy, and utilities.
Cost Savings:
Our drones are a cost-effective alternative to traditional inspection methods that often require expensive equipment, labour, and downtime. They can also help identify issues early, reducing repair costs.
Efficiency:
Our drones can cover large areas and assets quickly, reducing inspection times and allowing for more frequent assessments. This efficiency leads to faster decision-making and issue resolution.
High-Quality Data:
Equipped with high-resolution cameras and sensors, our drones capture detailed and accurate data, providing a clear view of asset conditions and helping in defect detection.
Remote Accessibility:
Our drone inspections can be conducted remotely, allowing experts to analyse data from anywhere, reducing the need for on-site presence and travel costs
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Reduced Disruption:
Industries where inspections can disrupt operations, such as transportation or agriculture, benefit from drones as they minimise disturbance and downtime.
Environmental Impact:
Our drones have a lower environmental footprint than traditional inspection methods, as they do not require vehicles or equipment that emit pollutants.
Data Analysis: Data collected during drone inspections can be stored and analysed over time, enabling asset performance tracking, trend identification, and predictive maintenance.
Real-Time Insights:
Our drones offer live-streaming capabilities that provide immediate access to real-time data, enabling prompt decision-making and response to critical issues.
Comprehensive Coverage:
Our drones can access challenging or remote areas, such as the tops of tall structures, power lines, or remote agricultural fields, ensuring comprehensive inspection coverage.
Documentation:
Our drones generate detailed visual records of assets, simplifying documentation and helping with compliance reporting for safety and regulatory standards.
Predictive Maintenance:
Regular drone inspections, combined with data analysis, facilitate the prediction of maintenance needs, reducing unplanned downtime and optimising asset lifespan.
Improved Reporting:
Our inspection reports are often more visual and informative than traditional reports, making it easier for stakeholders to understand findings and make informed decisions.
Scalability:
Our drones can be easily scaled to inspect multiple assets or locations in a short period, making them suitable for large-scale operations.
Safety and Regulatory Compliance:
Our drones assist in meeting safety and regulatory requirements by providing verifiable inspection data, ensuring assets are in compliance with industry standards.
Rapid Response:
In emergency situations, such as disaster response or search and rescue operations, drones can be deployed quickly to assess damage or locate missing persons.
Confined Space Inspections
Drones play a crucial role in confined space entry scenarios, offering numerous advantages in terms of safety, efficiency, and data collection. Below are key applications of drones in confined space environments:
Inspection and Survey
Drones equipped with high-definition cameras, LiDAR sensors, and ultrasonic thickness (UT) testing attachments can perform comprehensive inspections within confined spaces. This includes visual assessments, 3D mapping, and non-destructive testing of structural components. UT sensors allow for accurate measurement of material thickness to detect corrosion or wear, providing critical data for asset integrity management. Live video feeds and real-time UT readings allow operators to assess conditions from a safe location, eliminating the need for human entry in hazardous environments.
Gas Detection
Fitted with gas sensors, drones can detect and monitor hazardous gases before personnel enter the space. This helps ensure atmospheric safety and enables better control of confined space risks.
Mapping and Documentation
With 3D imaging capabilities, drones can capture detailed visuals and generate accurate maps of confined spaces. This data is useful for planning, record-keeping, and repeat inspections.
Search and Rescue Operations
In emergency situations, drones can access confined spaces quickly to locate individuals and assess conditions. Their agility and real-time data transmission aid first responders in rescue efforts.
Communication and Monitoring
Drones can maintain communication links between workers inside confined spaces and external teams. This is particularly helpful where infrastructure for communication is limited or absent.
Remote Sampling
Specialised drones can collect air, liquid, or solid samples from confined areas. This reduces the need for human exposure and allows safer analysis of potentially hazardous substances.
Emergency Response and Incident Management
Drones can be rapidly deployed during incidents to provide real-time visuals and environmental data, improving the coordination of emergency responses.
Documentation of Compliance
Flight footage and sensor data collected by drones can serve as evidence of safe practices, supporting regulatory compliance and audit requirements.
Environmental Monitoring
Sensors onboard drones can measure temperature, humidity, and air quality. This helps ensure that the atmosphere within a confined space meets safe operating conditions.
Routine Maintenance and Asset Management
Drones help monitor the condition of assets located in confined spaces, identifying signs of wear or damage and allowing for timely maintenance without the need for shutdowns or manned entry.
In summary, drones enhance safety, improve data accuracy, and reduce operational risk in confined space environments. Their use contributes to better decision-making, lower costs, and compliance with regulatory and safety requirements.
Thermography
Thermal cameras, also known as thermal imagers, are advanced devices equipped with sensitive heat sensors capable of detecting minute variations in temperature. By capturing infrared radiation emitted by objects in an environment, they create images that visually represent temperature differences and patterns. This allows for accurate thermal mapping and analysis across a wide range of applications.
As part of a Safety Management System, scheduled inspections of the flare tip, flare tower/boom, and associated pipework are typically required every 1–2 years, or as stipulated by the insurance provider. However, if the inspection is conducted manually and the boom and flare tip are in satisfactory condition, it can lead to unnecessary shutdowns and premature replacement costs for components that may still be fully operational.
Our drones can achieve the above through advanced visual and thermal inspection techniques that eliminate the need for shutdowns and manual access. Here's how:
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High-Resolution Visual Imaging: Drones equipped with zoom cameras can capture detailed images of the flare tip, tower, and pipework from a safe distance, identifying corrosion, deformation, or physical damage without interrupting operations.
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Thermal Imaging:
Thermal cameras on drones can detect heat anomalies, insulation failures, or gas leaks by measuring temperature variations critical for identifying issues in flare systems under live conditions.
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Access to Hazardous and Elevated Areas:
Drones can safely inspect high or inaccessible structures (e.g., flare booms) without the need for scaffolding or rope access, significantly reducing risk and cost.
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Live Feed and Remote Viewing:
Engineers and stakeholders can view inspections in real-time, allowing immediate decision-making without needing to be physically present.
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Repeatability for Condition Monitoring:
Scheduled drone flights can replicate the same flight path to monitor degradation over time, supporting predictive maintenance and avoiding unnecessary part replacements.
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Reduced Downtime:
Since inspections are non-invasive and performed while systems remain live, they eliminate the need for shutdowns, helping maintain production continuity.
By replacing manual inspections with drone-based alternatives, asset integrity is maintained without compromising safety or incurring avoidable costs.
