Thanks to drone technology, inspections that once required a helicopter, rope access, scaffolding or other costly measures can now be done with minimal personnel, minimal prep time and minimal cost and risk. Drones are also an efficient complement to our full repertoire of non-destructive inspection methods — for example, when you need to gather more data to follow up on a traditional manned inspection.

Benefits of drone inspections include:

• Reduced downtime
• Zero scaffolding costs
• Minimal manpower and prep needed
• Virtually no safety hazards
• Less disruption to your work site
• High-quality data delivered by certified inspectors

Drones are invaluable when there is simply no other way to get close enough to the equipment you need to inspect. For example, the complex, elevated network of piping that exists in many process plants and refineries makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to erect the scaffolding needed to pinpoint the source of a leak. Our drones are small enough to safely maneuver through the network of piping in a variety of facilities and plants. This RVI technique gives an up-close look and video documentation of leaks and other industrial integrity issues.

While scaffolding can take days or weeks — and hundreds of thousands of dollars — to erect and dismantle, a drone inspection can often be completed within hours. Customers can then make informed decisions about asset repair and replacement, and may be able to safely avoid or postpone unnecessary capital expenditures.