Successful drone deployment of ACFM probes and inspection

01/09/2017

Using weld inspection plates mounted at a height of 3-4 m, members of the Goshawk team demonstrated with skill that they were able to fly their DJI Matrice 600 ‘Betty’, a six-rotor heavy-lift drone fitted with a custom-built probe holder, to inspect the test plates with ease and deliver instant results. The ACFM inspection data captured was of excellent quality and easily repeatable. There were no technical issues during the test flights and the successful results proved the concept and potential for this deployment method to work alongside other traditional inspection methods, such as rope access inspections and other NDT techniques.

The Goshawk team, based in Aberdeen, specialises in unmanned aircraft and provides highly customisable solutions across a wide variety of industries, including oil & gas, renewable energy, civil infrastructure management, aerial mapping and surveying. Being able to reliably deploy inspection technologies with UAVs, with results, enhances personnel safety, as this method is ideal for operation in harsh environments and difficult-to-access or hazardous zones.

Drue Bremner, who focuses on UAV design and technology integration at Goshawk Technologies and strongly believes in the advantages of developing drone technology and NDT inspection applications, said: “I saw huge benefits in combining hand-held technology I’d used for years with drones and saw that they could fit in spaces and places many people had never accessed on a rig, enhancing opportunities to improve safety and increase efficiency.”

Jason Bird, Director of Goshawk Technologies, added: “We are ecstatic that we got the proof of concept, working with ACFM, and that the UAS capability was demonstrated to the full. This paves the way for the further development design of our aircraft to carry the payload required; now the hard work begins!”
The TSC teams are now equally excited about the potential of ACFM inspection working with drones. Dave Parramore, Engineering Solutions Director of TSC, stated: “TSC spent an excellent morning with the team from Goshawk Technology & Survey Ltd, testing and delivering a world first and very successful deployment of ACFM by UAS. The tests were performed without problems, even when different surprise test samples were thrown into the mix, and initial on-site reports showed a good signal-to-noise ratio obtained during this proof of concept testing. With an expert team at Goshawk, there is no doubt that drone technology is an ideal partner for ACFM deployment. Watch this space!”

www.tscis.com
www.goshawk-uas.co.uk

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