The EPA’s Clean Air Act regulations for the oil and gas industry require regular inspection of equipment and reporting. Creating a process to inspect and monitor emissions is a daunting task. Multiple assets need to be inspected, such as processing plants, upstream production facilities, compressor stations, pipelines, etc… Regular monitoring to ensure emissions are limited or eliminated is time-consuming and can be dangerous. The Flir/Workswell GIS-320 optical gas imaging payload mounted on a Vision Aerial Vector drone improves worker safety and saves time while inspecting vast gas fields.
Improving Worker Safety
Even though the industry follows strict regulations and safety protocols, health and safety risks still pose a threat. Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) often requires operators to get close to leaking components, exposing them to sour gas. Outfitting the crew with respirators or other protective equipment takes time and restricts the operator’s movement.
In addition, asset components may be located up high, off the ground, or in difficult-to-reach areas. In order to inspect this equipment, teams may need to set up extensive scaffolding or dangle from ropes. The other option is to hire a helicopter and pilot for hundreds or thousands of dollars per hour. The cost and time associated with regular inspections may be prohibitive.
By mounting an OGI payload on a drone, operators can now spot dangerous leaking components from a safe distance. Operators using pre-planned missions can easily repeat inspections on a regular basis.
Save Time & Money with an Aerial Optical Gas Imaging Workflow
In addition to the safety issues faced during traditional LDAR inspections, the time needed to inspect facilities is a consideration. It takes a significant amount of time to cover a vast area with a handheld device. Natural gas extraction and transport areas tend to be large, with no easy way to travel between the various assets. Traveling between wellheads, pipelines, and compressor stations with a handheld device is not an efficient way to cover large areas. In this workflow, operators drive to a location, scan the asset, check their data, then drive to the next location. Operators repeat the process until all the assets have been inspected. Normally a process that takes hours or days to complete. Regular inspections would require operators to repeat the process over and over.
With a drone-mounted OGI payload, an operator can quickly scan for leaks over a larger area.
During a recent demonstration, Vision Aerial’s team was able to scan 4-5 assets in one 20-minute flight. Previously, this task took between 4-6 hours with a handheld leak detector.
Easily Travel Between Assets
While system facilities may look close on a map, it is often challenging to travel from one to another. In order to visit multiple inspection sites, operators may need to drive long distances, down gravel or dirt roads. The distance and rough terrain may take considerable time. With an aerial optical gas imaging solution, operators can dramatically reduce travel time. LDAR performed by a drone can scan one asset after another in a single 20-minute flight.
In addition to rough roads between facilities, there are often other challenges. Land or property rights sometimes restrict access to assets. An aerial approach greatly reduces the time and effort to reach certain locations that would normally be challenging or impossible.
Aside from land ownership and ingress/egress rights, there can also be challenges related to terrain. Many pipelines are located in areas that are inaccessible by trucks (or even ATVs). This creates extreme challenges in the ability to inspect for leaks. River crossings, railways, or other unique obstacles can also impede the ability to easily reach certain assets. Drones easily overcome these problems. They simply take off from a safe location and fly over any obstacles to inspect the desired equipment.
The Best Optical Gas Imaging Solution Available
While there are other options on the market, the Flir/Workswell GIS-320 is the best aerial OGI solution. The sensor was designed specifically to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry, including OOOOa compliance.
Flir built the GIS-320 solely for the purpose of visualizing gasses from the sky. Teledyne FLIR partnered with Workswell to re-design the FLIR G300a as an aerial payload solution. The result is a streamlined platform for utilizing Teledyne FLIR’s OGI technology for aerial gas detection inspections. The payload uses the same cooled infrared detector in the industry-leading FLIR GF320 or GFx320.
The GIS-320 also features FLIR’s patented High Sensitivity Mode (HSM). The HSM image enhancement feature is very useful for visualizing gasses in a variety of environmental conditions. This sensor can visualize over 200 gasses, including VOCs.
The GIS-320 communications protocol is designed specifically for professional drone operators. It is fully integrated into the ground control station. Operators can control the settings through Vision Aerial’s Flight Deck mission planning and flight software.
The GIS-320 on a Vector hexacopter drone is a valuable addition to an operations LDAR program. This easy-to-operate system will greatly increase efficiency for operators. Key features include:
- Long flight times
- Hot-swap batteries
- Pre-defined mission plans
- Designed and manufactured in the USA
- Best practices for data security
“We have tried almost 10 solutions to date and this OGI solution is the only one that meets our needs.”
– LDAR lead for a mid-continent gas operator
