Covering a lot of ground

How has your automated scanning and area surveying solution specifically benefitted a pipeline construction project?

Used across an area of around 150 km, UAVOS’ drones covered the area 20 times faster than it would have been possible to on the ground, as well as being three times cheaper than traditional methods involving ground teams.

Therefore, the oil and gas company has saved around US$400 000 through gathered data accuracy. Moreover, this technology means geological prospecting can be undertaken at the most inaccessible areas, at any time of year.

What type of drones do you utilise for the magnetic mapping process, and why are they suitable for oil/gas pipeline construction?

Having been sufficiently manoeuvrable to fly at the required altitudes, ranging from 50 – 100 m, an unmanned helicopter for beyond visual line-of-sight with a robust gasoline-powered engine UVH-170 has the benefit of:

• Increased performance with carrying capacity, flying range and extended temperature range (from -30°C to +40°C).
• Better engine cooling especially designed to perform in a tropical climate, or in a hot and moist environment.
• Not requiring any additional take off or recovery equipment (does not require a runway), which makes it perfect for operations in hard-to-reach areas.
• Can fly forwards and backwards, and hover in the air for some time.
• The UVH-170 is equipped with satellite communication data link, which supports Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight.
• Ability to operate in hover flight.
• Ability to operate in windy conditions with gusts more than 14 m/sec.
• Ability to operate without GPS signals.

Borey fixed-wing UAV has been used for aerial photography tasks. It is considerably more efficient for such missions as it is much cheaper than an unmanned helicopter. Moreover, it is able to operate at a low altitude if necessary. The unique mobility of this system allows quick transportation and deployment in minutes.

What are the key features or technologies that enable your solution to be successful?

Proprietary UAVOS’ software speeds up the analysis process and reduces the analysis costs.

AI-based data processing enables digitalisation of the whole pipeline area on a large scale:

• Autonomous data collection and automated drone post-flight data analysis.
• Big data platform processing.
• Digital twin for maintenance.
• Artificial neural networks (ANNs): classification, object detection, and image segmentation.

Moreover, all UAVOS’ drones offer high-quality cameras capable of achieving survey-grade results, accurate to within a fraction of an in. UAVOS’ GSG 201 Gyro-stabilised 2-axis gimbal with a day and thermal camera and Laser Rangefinder are specifically designed for inspections and surveillance missions. Both hardware and software are developed and manufactured in-house.

The pipeline inspections efficiency ensures magnetic mapping surveys. This is a geological prospecting technique allowing initial information on rock formation and structure to be obtained by measuring the geomagnetic field at …

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Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/special-reports/21032024/covering-a-lot-of-ground/