How drones are improving industrial maintenance tasks.
When it comes to industrial operations, the use of drones is becoming more popular and more significant. From surveying to surveillance, these eyes in the sky can record, capture, and report on a variety of situations, from infrastructure inspections to construction progress. Drones offer safe, secure, fast, and efficient activity and results and can be applied across a wide range of industries.
The same holds true to industrial maintenance – the task of ensuring operational infrastructure and equipment is regularly inspected and fully compliant. With tight budgets, changing resources, and ageing infrastructure, companies seeking safe and efficient operations are harnessing the power of the cutting-edge technology offered by drone operators.
HOW DRONES CAN IMPROVE INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE
1. SAFE, SMOOTH OPERATIONS
When it comes to routine tasks such as scheduled surveillance or standardised inspections, drones are the perfect tool for the job, replacing human inspectors who face safety risks, unhealthy surrounds, the need for complicated support equipment, and time. When it comes to structures like power plants, power lines, bridges, and flare stacks, this can save organisations time, money, and energy, as well as keeping their most valuable asset – their people – out of harm’s way and engaged in more productive tasks.
2. ACTIVE INSPECTIONS
The way in which drones operate (fast, in the air, unmanned) means that plants under inspection will not necessarily have to be shut down during this time, as they would be with manned inspection. This means that plants can remain active during the inspection process, saving time and money, and increasing productivity. All this while the drone records and sends data to the relevant stakeholders – who may or may not be on-site – and who can then go through the data at their own pace.
3. COST-SAVING
Research shows that using drones for inspection and to carry our routine tasks results in an over 50% reduction in labour costs. This means streamlining labour teams but also frees up budget for the training and promotion of employees for higher level labour tasks, saving costs overall.
The latest drone technology is innovative and flexible while being efficient and reliable – this makes a drone the perfect inspection and surveying tool for industrial applications from mining operations to industrial maintenance. At DCG, we offer drone-driven commercial services and turnkey solutions for many industries across Africa.
How drones can improve safety in pipeline surveys.
Drones have been increasingly used in oil and gas operations due to their speed, efficiency, and safety capabilities. Pipelines are an area of the industry that requires regular surveying and (difficult to manage) inspection, often over large, often remote, areas and potentially hazardous conditions.
From rusting overland connections to underground methane leaks, undetected damage can lead to fires, explosions, and loss of life, while having severe environmental physical effects. This makes regular inspection and surveillance for safety purposes a must. And a commercial drone is just the tool for the job.
Traditionally, oil and gas pipelines have been monitored by overland vehicles and manned aircraft using spotting techniques and surveillance technology – time consuming, labour intensive, and expensive methods. Drones can bring an added speed and higher level of safety to pipeline inspection and maintenance due to their flexibility and ability to record and transmit data, whether for route planning, as-built surveying, or regular inspection for maintenance purposes.
BENEFITS OF USING DRONES FOR PIPELINE SURVEILLANCE AND INSPECTION
1. EASY ACCESS
Whatever the stage of a pipeline project, drones are able to travel over large distances and hazardous terrains (such as water crossings or wildlife zones) in a systematic fashion, relatively safely and quickly, saving on time and costs such as fuel and labour, while reducing the need for human inspectors to make such trips. This means that they can make a number of time-sensitive visits to a site for regular data capture.
2. MAP MAKING
Using photogrammetry, drones can put together a 3 dimensional map of a selected area for planning and inspection purposes in a few short hours. With quick reporting and delivery, this technology allows surveying teams to quickly generate a point cloud representation of a given surface and get to work.
3. SMART DATA
From topography mapping to locating boundaries to stock monitoring, drones are able to photograph, film, and record a large amount of diverse real-time data and report it in an accessible format.
4. ACCURATE DETECTION
Using thermal imaging and the latest detection technology, drones can conduct thermal inspections to identify hair line leaks, structural damage, vegetation growth, and other potential pipeline hazards such as pitting (a localised form of corrosion difficult to detect with the naked eye). Plus, drones can work around labour teams without requiring a shutdown of a project that is still underway.
Looking for a surveillance solution for your pipeline project or next civil engineering venture? Think drone! Cost-effective, safe, and accurate, drone technology is the way of the future when it comes to industrial surveying and surveillance initiatives and has many advantages over manned inspection. As experienced drone operators, we offer total aerial mapping services to professional organisations and government bodies across Africa. Chat to us about your drone needs today.
Three big reasons to hire a drone service provider for your next construction project.
Successful construction projects require planning, forethought, and a commitment to using the best possible resources and suppliers. This includes embracing new and innovative technologies such as drone-driven services and solutions. Over the last decade, the use of drones has become more popular in the construction industry due to the many benefits offered by drones and drone technology.
And more and more of these initiatives have been outsourced to professional drone service providers. With the proper skills, expertise, and compliance requirements in place, a professional drone services supplier (like DC Geomatics) can ensure the best results and best use of a drone across a wide range of drone related industries, including construction.
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT? REASONS TO BRING A DRONE ON BOARD
1. PLAN AHEAD
The aerial surveying and mapping capabilities of a drone means it can be used to survey large areas, get a bird’s eye view of a potential construction site, or even get a good look at the prospective view that will be on offer once the construction has been completed. Stunning images of beautiful surrounds can go a long way to securing support for a project while aerial maps can be instrumental in allowing for planning before breaking ground, saving precious time, money, and resources.
2. SECURE MARKETING GOLD
A drone can record images and video from exciting angles, give insight into a project from unusual perspectives, and document a construction story over time. In short, a drone will allow you to capture the progress of a project, from start to finish, easily and at a far less expense than other aerial media such as manned aircraft exercises. The captured video and images make for great marketing materials and documentation of the progress of a project for relevant stakeholders.
3. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE
With the proper training, software, and brief, a drone operator can bring huge cost savings to a construction project, increasing process efficiency from the initial site inspection to the final showcase. For example, when surveying a site, a drone can quickly offer real-time, detailed imagery and data in a way that is less complicated than using satellite imagery and less expensive than using manned aircraft. The captured data can be quickly converted into orthomosiac maps and any relevant information shared across stakeholder teams without requiring them to visit the site, saving time and money. The same goes for regular site inspections that can be conducted systematically, accurately and swiftly.
Drones are well suited to the needs of the construction industry with their flexibility and unique capabilities making them the perfect surveying and recording tools. Operated by a commercial professional, they can add significant value to any construction project. At DCG, we offer drone-driven commercial services and turnkey solutions across a wide range of industries and projects. Have a project that could use a drone? Talk to us about developing a drone solution for your needs.