The Rise of the Drones
Drones, they seem to be everywhere these days but how much do we really know about these flying objects? What are they used for and are there any benefits to deploying them at Sasol?
What is a Drone?
A drone is, in the most basic terms, an unmanned aircraft. Drones are also known as UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) or RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems). Essentially, a drone is a flying robot that can be remotely controlled or fly autonomously through software-controlled flight plans in their embedded systems, working in conjunction with on-board sensors and GPS.
What is DaaS?
• Drone-as-a-Service is a method of flying drones without having to buy and maintain the drone yourself.
• You only pay for the number of flight hours you use.
• The purchase & maintenance of an unmanned aerial vehicle is costly & the licencing of the drone and the pilot is complicated & tedious (87 licences & certifications needed).
Why DaaS?
• Civil aviation regulations on drones in South Africa are some of the most prohibitive in the world and in the case of Sasol we have National Keypoint sites which further complicate matters.
• We also have to comply with requirements from Security, Site Services, Hazardous Area Management & the different Land Owners.
• DaaS allows us to fly a drone without having to worry about the red tape as the service provider has already dealt with all that.
Service Components
• Drone Flights - Flying the specified area and capturing the required high quality imagery.
• Automated image conversion; Visualisation and Analysis - Removes the need for manual image conversion by automating the image processing routine. It allows you to create basemaps, perform image analysis, and measure features. It also enables analysis of natural and built-up features including volumetric measurements, change detection, lines of sight, and obstructions.
• Data Storage - Storage of imagery and associated GIS data. this component is often overlooked but crucial to the success of any drone initiative. Options here include local storage, SAN and cloud.
Industrial Uses of Drones
In large industry, maintenance activities are costly to plan and execute, and must be done routinely to avoid leaks, production outages and unplanned shutdowns. While the current footprint of drone usage is still quite small, the indications are there that this service will expand exponentially in the coming years.
The Benefits of Using Drones in Industry
• Decreased maintenance costs - Drones perform inspection tasks that would usually require the erecting of scaffolding or the use of cranes.
• Reduced safety exposure – The number of people required to perform a drone inspection is minimal & greatly reduces the number of people who are exposed to safety risk.
• Stable production - Early detection of problems reduces unplanned downtime and ensures the uninterrupted flow of product to our customers.
Conclusion
Drones are frequently identified as one of the next major disruptors in the fourth industrial revolution. Until now, methods of inspecting, detecting, and locating defects have been inefficient and costly to conduct. Workers have risked their lives to climb high-rising structures and inspections have caused lengthy shutdowns. Drones are a cost effective and safe solution to all of these problems.