Inspections

Towers and Wind Turbines

We provide high resolution photography and video of power and cellular transmission infrastructure for inspection purposes.  In many cases we can provide expedited services with 24-hour turnaround.  This allows companies to make a quick assessment as to the existence and extent of damage to Wind Turbines, Cell Towers, and Solar Panels.

Drone inspections can be done more quickly and safely than having personnel climb towers. We can also provide live streaming of aerial inspections for real-time assessment of conditions. Preventing high risk climbing or costly shutdowns, automated and autonomous aerial inspections allow for smart detection of damages, erosion or missing cotter pins. Creating a digital imagery database and series of identical repetitive analyses creates unique insights in status of Towers and Wind turbines in time. Better insights that help to optimize the total grid usage. The inspections on phone masts can be used to inspect the status of pylons or construction on buildings but also check the position of the antennas and the state of the mechanical connection. Wind turbines present unique challenges for maintenance inspections. Current methods involve hoisting staff to heights that present significant health and safety risks. As a result, each inspection requires extensive downtime and meticulous planning before it can be carried out, reducing the overall efficiency of energy generation.

Conducting wind turbine inspections via UAVs is a significant improvement over existing methods. A UAV is able to fly precisely and in close proximity to the turbine, eliminating the need to put inspection workers at high risk.

Energy

Power lines spanning vast distances are a key component in the distribution of today’s modern power grids. They also present unique maintenance challenges due to their geographical distribution, as well as their high elevations and limited accessibility. Traditionally inspected by helicopter-based methods, they can be more easily and efficiently inspected using UAV Inspection specialists equipped with drones. Specialized cameras and highly efficient sensors are used to capture images and video footage that is detailed enough for ultra-fine post-inspection analysis, while telepresence can allow operators to see streamed video in real-time or from a tele-operator control point. Safety and efficiency are paramount to modern energy refining facilities, and regular inspections are critical to maintaining efficient operations. Traditional inspection methods have always been challenging as facilities can span large property areas with complex structural layouts.

UAVs allow for even the largest facilities to be inspected quickly providing simple, high altitude facility surveying, as well as close proximity vertical inspection. When sensor technologies are applied, these systems allow teams to quickly scan to identify anomalies such as structural weaknesses, gas leaks, hot spots, ventilation gaps, and much more, empowering facility engineers to make decisions to quickly remediate and effect repairs as necessary.