Pipeline inspection can often be a time-consuming experience for engineers, particularly when there could be thousands of kilometers to cover.
However, the advent of aerial cameras for pipeline inspection missions offer opportunities for preventative maintenance and decision-making on potential problem points to be conducted swifter and in a timely fashion.
The technology in aerial photography cameras has been advanced to such a degree that they can be safely deployed across remote and rugged locations and conduct more efficient inspections while keeping costs low.
Alongside pipeline inspections, aerial images can also be used to determine Right of Way (ROW) mapping and wetland identification for pipeline installation and maintenance.
The aerial imagery data from a pipeline inspection camera is also often used to plan routes, identify structures along the ROW, and assist in identifying vegetation stress, which could indicate oil and gas pipeline leaks.
One company quickly converted over to the use of aerial camera technology to capture survey data when they realized that their standard DSLR camera data was insufficient and that they needed to offer better quality images.
Their new aerial camera systems helped to exceed demands in capturing data of oil and gas midstream pipelines. The solution also helped to improve productivity, reduce hours in the air and increase image processing speed.
Their chosen system also offered a 43% increase in productivity thanks to its larger format sensor for high-resolution images, easy installation into its current aircraft fleet, and compatibility with its existing platforms.
The data collection flight surpassed expected planned flight hours and turnaround time. With more extensive ground coverage from the system, in just one pass, the company delivered higher quality data to their customers with less than half the previous processing times.
The solution has an impressive dynamic range of 83dB which means longer flying hours and, if necessary, in poor light conditions, still providing perfect imagery.
Data collection of a 100,000-acre area with medium format cameras took around 3 hours to complete at a flight altitude of 3,500 feet and provided a ground sampling distance (GSD) of 4 inches.
A similar project using traditional DSLR cameras took eight hours to complete at a lower altitude of 3,000 feet and provided a GSD of 6 inches.
These aerial cameras can be flown at faster speeds, and continue to operate in most light conditions and have actually flown missions down to as low as a 2-degree sun angle and still produced acceptable images for visual analysis.
Innovations mean they are easy-to-integrate and provide accurate and consistent aerial data that enables more precise execution of photogrammetry projects with high-resolution images.
Aerial systems software has also improved mission productivity, reducing hours in the air and increasing image processing speed.
Technology is also being utilized across the energy industry, unlocking potential in monitoring oil wells and offshore rigs. This means they can reach a usually inaccessible place, like the flare stack, and zero in on problems.
The cumulative approach means less downtime of a company’s assets, quicker decision-making and action plans to resolve any issues, with no loss to production.
