Remote visual inspections are paving the way for safer, more efficient, and cost-effective inspection processes. Not only are these inspections often mandated by regulatory bodies, but they also play a crucial role in extending the lifespan of critical assets. Additionally, they enable inspections of hard-to-reach or unreachable parts of facilities, reducing risks and saving time.
Why should you consider investing in a visual inspection drone? These five real-world examples might just change your mind!
## 5 Ways a Visual Inspection Drone Can Transform Your Operations
### 1. Visual Inspections During Active Testing
This project focused on inspecting the convection section of a furnace, specifically checking the shock tubes and looking for any leaks. Normally, such inspections are conducted manually and only when the facility is offline due to the high risk involved.
What made this project unique was the team's decision to use a Flyability drone to conduct inspections while the furnace was undergoing an active hydrostatic pressure test—a task that would have been impossible with traditional methods. By leveraging the drone, the team was able to gather essential data remotely, significantly reducing the risk to personnel.
### 2. Maintaining Cooling Tower Operations
Regular internal inspections of cooling towers are vital to identify wear, damage, or corrosion. However, these inspections can be challenging due to the towers' size and height, often requiring lengthy downtime.
In this case, our drones allowed a four-bay cooling tower to undergo an internal inspection with minimal impact on operations. The facility would temporarily shut down one bay at a time, keeping the other three operational. The drone team would then fly into the cooling tower bay, complete the inspection, and exit. This process was highly efficient because the entire system didn’t need to shut down. The cooling tower could continue to function as usual, with only one bay being taken offline at a time.
### 3. Enhancing Human Inspections
Every inspection involves a collaboration between inspectors, assets, and tools. A visual inspection drone can greatly enhance this process by accessing dangerous or otherwise inaccessible areas of an asset, allowing humans to focus on safer tasks while interpreting the data provided by the drone.
For instance, the inspection team used one of our drones to capture images of the top of a storage tank and its rafters and supports. Without the drone, they would have needed to construct scaffolding, which is costly and time-consuming. Using the drone also minimized the risk of injury from falls or structural failures. Ultimately, the team successfully completed an API570 inspection safely and efficiently.
### 4. Accessing Hard-to-Reach Infrastructure
Flyability’s indoor drone proved invaluable when inspecting the World Waterpark and Mindbender roller coaster at West Edmonton Mall. Thanks to the drone’s ability to navigate confined spaces, the inspection team gained unprecedented access to parts of the infrastructure that were previously unreachable, even with scaffolding.
WEM staff also noted that remote visual inspections accelerated the process, making it faster, safer, and more economical. With a drone, inspection times dropped from 10–20 hours to just 1–2 hours, slashing costs by over 80%.
### 5. Conducting Last-Minute Inspections
Pampa EnergÃa, Argentina’s largest independent energy company, sought to transition from manual inspections to remote visual inspections for their boiler maintenance checks. Traditionally, their personnel would climb scaffolding to manually inspect burners inside the boilers, a process that took seven full days of downtime, including the time required to build and dismantle the scaffolding.
During a trial run at their BahÃa Blanca power plant, the visual inspection drone, Elios 1, completed a full boiler inspection in just 20 minutes—a fraction of the seven-day manual process. Surprisingly, Pampa EnergÃa decided to inspect the second boiler as well, given the speed and efficiency of the first inspection. What they discovered shocked everyone: the burners were in such poor condition that they decided against restarting them to avoid potential damage and ensure safety. Fortunately, the warranty was still valid, and the company recovered all associated costs, saving a total of $420,000 in scaffolding, downtime, and insurance expenses.
## Ready to Explore Remote Visual Inspections?
If you’re curious about how remote visual inspections can benefit your business, contact us today to learn more about Flyability’s innovative solutions. Let’s transform your inspection processes together!
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