AT219 Group Research Paper

Oil is the biggest source of energy and the second most abundant liquid on Earth. Extraction, processing, and distribution are not easy and there are many things that must happen before someone can pump gas into their car. The oil industry consists of three phases: upstream, midstream, and downstream. Someone has to find the oil before it can be extracted, this is part of the first phase which is upstream. Upstream is where the exploration and extraction are done. Once the oil is extracted, it now needs to be transported to a refinery. This transportation phase is the midstream where oil is transported by ship, truck, train, or pipeline. Pipelines are the most used method of transporting oil. They are also safer, for people and the environment, than the other transportation methods. Although pipelines may be safer than the other methods, they are still transporting toxic materials that could damage the environment if there was a leak. “The oil industry often utilizes thousands of different components. If one of these components falters, it can severely impact operations.” (Nichols) To ensure that these toxic materials are contained, and no oil spills happen, these pipelines must be inspected regularly. Pipeline inspections are the surveying of pipelines to check for any corrosion, wear, or other damage. Traditional pipeline inspections use a ground team or a team in a light aircraft. While these types of inspections get the job done, they are not necessarily ideal solutions.

The problems with pipeline inspection currently can all be boiled down to safety, cost, and efficiency. Safety is an issue because inspections can take workers to hazardous areas. Many pipelines in the United States are underground and stretch out for long distances. Flight teams are at risk because pilots need to fly at a low altitude to be able to see the pipeline with their sensor. This can be dangerous if they are flying in an area with mountains or other obstacles around. Ground teams are at risk because inspections are dangerous and can lead to injury. Figure 1 below illustrates some of the 600 injuries that have occurred in the past 9 years of inspection. Because these inspections are dangerous, there are many strict safety guidelines that need to be followed in order to properly inspect the pipelines. This is where cost becomes a problem. Workers need special training to be able to follow the safety guidelines properly. Special training costs the company time and money. Using aircraft to do inspections can also be costly depending on how long it will take and where the pipelines are located. Manned flight inspections can also take a while to complete because pilots may have to fly over areas multiple times to finish the inspection. Efficiency is the last problem with pipeline inspections. Ground teams can take several days to inspect an area that a helicopter or light aircraft may be able to inspect in a few hours. Aircraft may seem efficient here, but this is not always the case. If a company wants to use aircraft for inspections, they need to find a pilot, which can take time as well. Needless to say, both ground teams and manned-flight teams are viable but neither of them is a hundred percent safe, cost efficient, and productive. Both options have their pros and cons, but as new solutions develop, the older methods are becoming outdated and cannot quite keep up with UAS operations.

(Figure 1. Map of Inspection Injuries/Fatalities)

The new solution, unmanned aerial systems, is safer, cheaper, and more efficient than other existing methods. UAS make pipeline inspections safer by taking people out of the hazardous situations they were previously in. No ground teams have to walk the pipelines and no manned-flight teams have to fly at low altitudes in hazardous terrain. Using unmanned vehicles significantly lowers the risk of injury during inspections. Lowering injury risk is also one of the ways that UAS can make inspections cheaper. “Reduced labor and maintenance costs are the keys for more companies deploying drone platforms along with various safety considerations.” (Nemec) When a worker gets injured the company must find out how to get the same amount of work done with less people or hire new people. By investing in safety, companies can save more money in the long run. Switching to UAS inspections isn’t cheap, but it is cheap compared to the other methods. Replacing or fixing a broken UAS isn’t free, but it is easier than replacing an injured worker. UAS also save the company money by reducing the amount of training they have to do. Now inspection workers don’t need specialty training to do their job. However, workers that want to fly UAS commercially do need to go through some training to get a part 107. This gives businesses an option. They can decide to employ and train their own UAS team or they can outsource and pay a third party UAS team to do inspections. Hiring an in-house team would be good for businesses that want to have a UAS ready for emergency inspections. Outsourcing inspections is a good option for companies that don’t have the proper equipment or knowledge, don’t want to hire their own team, or don’t want to be liable for anything that happens during the inspection. Outsourcing is also good because third party companies will have the newest UAS and sensors. Outsourcing will likely be more costly than having an in-house team, but an in-house team will be more efficient. There are other ways that unmanned vehicles can make inspections more efficient too. UUV, unmanned underwater vehicles, can be used to scan underwater pipelines. It can be hard for people to detect leaks in underwater pipelines, but UUV with thermal or methane sensors can cover more areas and detect leaks much faster than people. Another thing unmanned vehicles can do faster than a ground team or a manned-flight team is transmit data. With the other methods, data cannot be provided until the inspector can take the data back. UAS can provide real-time video. Moreover, UAS can provide data in multiple ways. Unmanned vehicles can create maps of the pipeline area or 3D models of above ground pipelines. For most scenarios, UAS inspections seem better than alternative methods in nearly every way. While all the methods of pipeline inspection get the job done in their own way, they all have downfalls.

UAS has its shortcomings too. Although unmanned vehicle inspection can solve the problems brought up earlier, solutions can lead to new problems. Problems with UAS pipeline inspection come down to two categories: regulations and lack of technology. Like pipeline inspection, commercial UAS operation has its own set of safety guidelines that must be followed. These regulations can make it appear too complicated for a business that is new to FAA regulations. UAS is also still a relatively new technology which may be why some regulations seem to be more focused on safety than efficiency. Some of these regulations hinder user's ability to efficiently do inspections. One such regulation requires that the UAS is visible to the remote pilot or visual observer at all times. “This is notable because a truly useful inspection flight for the oil and gas industry cannot depend on visual observers or ground based radar in place - the drone must be able to fly as if a pilot is on board, which means seeing the environment around it and reacting automatically to avoid collisions.” (Livingston) This regulation limits how much UAS can improve over traditional methods of inspection. Commercial UAS pilots want the regulations to include the use of BVLOS flight, flight beyond visual line of sight, but BVLOS flight raises some safety concerns right now. This is because UAS do not have enough safety features, like detect and avoid systems, that can ensure the safety of BVLOS flights. Operators can apply for waivers that allow them to fly BVLOS or fly during night, but these waivers must be reviewed and accepted before operation. This leads to the other problem with UAS pipeline inspections: lack of technology. For BVLOS to be allowed, safety technologies need to be developed more. One such instance where UAS technology hasn’t caught up yet is environmental factors. Many pipes are not in the most desirable locations which can cause problems for operations. Pipeline inspections in places like Alaska are going to be even more difficult. Alaska has a 48-inch pipe that stretches 800 miles North to South. The temperature of a winter in the northernmost state can range from -50 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the longitude of the area. Batteries have an issue with cold weather as they discharge much faster than in warmer climates. Unmanned aircraft rely on batteries to power every single component on board and when mixing in the extreme cold of Alaska, operations can take a huge hit. Operation time can be hindered due to replacing batteries more frequently or halting operations altogether to charge them. Alongside this, environmental factors such as wind, rain, and high altitudes can all have negative effects on the drone during operations. In areas where these factors are common, operations can only be conducted at certain times or certain days when these conditions have subsided. Another area where technology could help is with data analysis. “An overwhelming amount of unanalyzed data is just as unhelpful as too little data.” (Gibbens) Data analysis can be difficult because someone may have to look through hours of data to find one small detail. Technologies that could detect anomalies in data could make data analysis less daunting. Through the development of new technologies, UAS can improve in efficiency and safety. If UAS become safer, then regulations can be changed with more efficiency in mind.

As mentioned before, the technology behind UAS is lacking in some areas but in others it thrives. When using drones for pipeline inspections, or any kind of inspection operations for that matter, there are a multitude of different tools the operator has at hand to make the inspection much smoother and more efficient whether it be the platform itself, cameras, or technology that can improve efficiency.

The platform of the UAV itself can come in different forms for different operations. Fixed wing aircraft can fly for long periods of time at higher altitudes which can be crucial for long piping. This can make it more efficient and save hours of time. Quadcopters allow the pilot to fly very close to the pipes and inspect them without risking the safety of an individual. While they cannot fly as long as a fixed wing, their ability to be very close and maneuver in places that most humans cannot make them very efficient. On top of this, other platforms such as UUV can allow safe inspection of piping underwater. (Figure. 2)

There are a plethora of cameras that can be used during inspections for certain conditions or specific things that the team is looking for. A company known as FLIR makes multiple different cameras for UAS inspections. The EO IR Mk II, for example, provides an integrated end-to-end surveying and geographical information system. This allows for streamlined and effective collection and processing of imagery so the team can focus on the safety aspects of the operation. The camera allows the teams to create 3D models or orthomosaics of the pipelines for further inspection. Infrared cameras can also be crucial to understand what is going on inside the pipes as well. They can detect issues that the human eye or even cameras can miss easily. Especially for underground pipes, the infrared camera can detect possible leaks or cracks by surveying the temperatures above ground. (Figure. 3)

Orthomosaics and 3D models are another integrated piece of technology that many companies use during inspections. Orthomosaics allow the inspectors to take thousands of images and piece them together in order to create a map of the area or pipelines at high speeds. The images are clear and do not lose resolution without having to stop at specific locations to take the pictures. Take, for example, this orthomosaic (Figure. 4) while flying at very high speeds.3D models are also helpful and allow the operator to take pictures similar to orthomosaics except with this, the pictures can be pieced together to create a 3D image. The company can then analyze the 3D model by rotating all around and zooming in to better inspect the area of pipes. In other words, all of these tools and methods allow inspectors to view, in great detail, pipes for maintenance or integrity without risking the lives or safety of the individuals who would normally inspect the pipe in person.


                         (Figure 2. UUV)                                  (Figure 3. Infrared image of piping underground)


              (Figure 4. Orthomosaic imagery)

New technology for unmanned vehicles is always emerging. Predictive analytics is one technology that could help in pipeline inspection. Predictive analytics uses multiple techniques to make predictions about the future. “Drones can utilize predictive data analytics to progress from reactive to predictive repair.” (Nichols) This could be helpful in pipeline inspection where it could determine what factors increase corrosion or other types of damage. By determining the causes of corrosion, companies can predict scenarios in which the pipes begin to fail and take action to prevent it. In return, as mentioned before, it would save the company money and time which is quite valuable, especially in an industry as competitive as oil. Alongside emerging technology, the FAA is also working on UAS regulations. In 2017, the FAA and US Department of Transportation created the UAS Integration Pilot Program to help find ways to “balance local and national interests related to drone integration” along with other things. (FAA) This program consists of nine teams that are studying different types of operation, like night flight and package delivery. One of the teams, the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, is focused on pipeline inspection in harsh climates and remote areas. This team “conducted the first BVLOS operation in August of 2019.” (Livingston) The flight was 3.87 miles long and used Iris Automation detect and avoid system paired with ground-based radar Echodyne. Kansas’ Department of Transportation, another IPP team, furthered Alaska’s progress by performing BVLOS operations while only using on board detect and avoid systems. This is a big deal because it shows real progress in allowing BVLOS operations in the future. This is just one step in the future of UAS operations.

From a business perspective, UAS is a worthwhile solution to problems in pipeline inspection. Even though things like BVLOS operation are still prohibited, UAS still appears to be the frontrunner for safety, cost, and efficiency in pipeline inspections. UAS are meant to be used for dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs. Dull, dirty, and dangerous are all words that could describe pipeline inspection. While the traditional inspection methods were good enough for their times, these methods can no longer compete with UAS. As more companies transition to UAS inspections, this will show other companies why UAS is worth switching to. The big concern people seem to have about unmanned vehicles is their job security. These vehicles are not fully autonomous, however, and still need crews to ensure safe operation. If anything, UAS may increase the amount of jobs as well as make those jobs safer for the people that must do them.

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