Drone inspection in industry

Industrial inspection by drone

Previously, the inspection of areas of a plant that were difficult or impossible to access was always associated with high costs, extensive organization and a certain risk. Our drones support or replace the conventional inspection process in industry in a cost-effective and flexible manner. So far, drones were only known from the inspections of buildings, power plants, industrial chimneys, etc. outdoors. We have specialized in the indoor inspection of these objects.

Maintenance analysis by drone

The use of drones is efficient and inexpensive. Industrial plants and power plants are subject to regular inspections. Drones can also get into areas that are inaccessible to humans. It does not matter whether it is a chimney inspection, a tank inspection or a cooling tower inspection. Every application has areas that are dangerous or difficult to reach for humans. Unmanned flight systems offer a high cost reduction while at the same time increasing safety as well as a very good maintenance analysis and perfect monitoring. Remote data transmission enables immediate evaluation and further processing as well as storage.

Inspection of industrial plants by drone

Tanks, including the associated riser system, are usually very high and susceptible to corrosion. Deformation and structural damage are not uncommon, making tank inspection all the more important. In these cases, the lyability Elios 2 drone is used. With the special drone we check inlets and outlets, weld seams, screw connections and corrosion coatings during tank inspection . Cooling towers are primarily used for safety and prevent production downtime. Cooling tower inspection is one of the most common areas of application. Expensive downtimes are largely avoided by the cooling tower inspection and tank inspection with the drone. With the flyability Elios 2 drone During the cooling tower inspection, the wall structures of re cooling plants, fan rooms, crowns, rotor blades and diffusers are inspected in detail. In order to guarantee maximum energy production in power plants and waste incineration plants, they must be serviced regularly. Fire chambers, flue gas ducts, boilers, boilers, combustion chambers, flue gas scrubbers, gas and steam turbines, etc. are subjected to a strict and precise visual inspection by an industrial inspection.

Possibilities of drone flights on industrial plants

The possible uses of an industrial drone in an industrial inspection are almost unlimited. Components in systems, such as centrifugal separators, gas supply lines, compensators or air preheaters are also checked for their integrity. The chimney inspection is carried out both externally and internally, depending on what exactly needs to be checked. For outdoor use, inspections of this type are subject to ascent permits. Experts must check industrial chimneys every 2 years. The chimney inspection is subject to strict specifications and requirements. Steel bandages, flange connections, jacket, facade, chimney head, fireclay bricks, coatings, masonry, lightning rod, flight obstacle lighting, etc. are checked. This chimney inspection therefore eliminates the need for working platforms and the dangerous climbing of employees. In the case of heavy chemical stress, the chimney inspection must be carried out at shorter intervals. In the petrochemical industry, elevated flares are used to burn unusable gases. This industrial inspection is also greatly simplified and more cost-effective through the use of the drone. The risk potential for people is reduced to almost zero. Thus, steam nozzles, pilot burners, burner nozzles, etc. can be checked visually. Of course, the complete, expert check during an industrial inspection also includes the visual function check of the pilot burners as well as the supply lines and the supporting structure. So that the respective industrial inspection, regardless of whether it is a tank inspection, Chimney inspection or cooling tower inspection can also be followed on a monitor, the drones are equipped with special cameras. Zoom features bring prominent points closer to the tank inspection or cooling tower inspection.

What are the requirements for using drones on industrial plants?

Drone operations are subject to strict regulations by the authorities. Before a drone can ascend to inspect the chimney, an ascent permit from the relevant authority must be available. As a drone service provider, we know the relevant laws, regulations, provisions, guidelines and norms and standards that must be observed. A cooling tower inspection has different requirements than a tank inspection or a stack inspection. In addition, a crashing drone can also cause a lot of damage to the facility. That's why we only use experienced drone pilots and assistants for industrial inspection. The creation of checklists and the wearing of personal protective equipment such as overalls, helmets and protective goggles is a matter of course for us in industrial inspection.

What are the advantages of industrial inspection by drone?

The time required compared to conventional methods is significantly less, since the use of industrial climbers, the use of rope access technology, scaffolding or cranes can be dispensed with, which also greatly minimizes the safety risk. Another advantage is the low downtime, which significantly reduces the costs of production downtime or, in the best case, there are no downtimes. Our drones are equipped with RGB, high zoom and thermal imaging cameras and can provide high-resolution images that can be used to document the condition of the system and possible damage from different perspectives. The high-resolution zoom offers the opportunity to view distant details from a safe environment.