Aerospace


Fig. 1. Cyberhawk drones are under 2kg in weight including cameras and


equipment, and under one metre in length.


Drones can be used to avoid sending inspection workers up


dangerous heights. T 32 www.engineerlive.com


he use of unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft for site


surveys at oil and gas installations is gathering


momentum, as well as other sites like wind farms and masts for telecommunication and broadcast.


In the oil and gas sector, tall and complex structures such as oil rigs, platforms and chimney stacks, present a danger for personnel, particularly operations that take place at heights in hostile environments where waves, wind and weather place further demands on the individuals carrying out the tasks.


Cyberhawk is a pioneer in the use of drones for industrial inspection, topographical land surveys


and aerial photography. Craig Roberts, chief executive officer of Cyberhawk, claims his company has performed over 200 flare inspections to date.


“The drone is not itself intrinsically safe, which means that every time we do an inspection on a offshore flare stack for example, we have to go through a specific risk assessment with the facility,” he explains.


“Our drones use battery power which avoids the use of liquid fuel and from an overall health and safety perspective there are more risks from working with liquid fuel. It is subject to having a discussion with hazardous operations personnel to make safety case for each occasion.


Drones cut risk on industrial inspections


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