Wondering how indoor drones are being used in the power generation industry?
The primary way they are being used is to collect visual data remotely during internal inspections.
Below we'll cover information highlighting all the different use cases you'll find today for indoor drones in the power generation industry, including:
Here's a list of the most common assets where inspectors are using indoor drones to support their internal inspections in the power generation industry, including notes about what inspectors are looking for and doing when inspecting them.
Assessing the integrity of burners, refractory, and superheater piping inside the combustion chamber and detecting clogs, and wear and tear inside air pre-heaters.
Assessing the integrity of supporting pins, burners, and lancers inside an HRSG during the power outage of a combined cycle plant.
Inspecting the blades of wind turbines during planned shutdowns and inside the pillar and basement of the turbine while operating.
Visually inspecting the refractory, burners, tubes, and pipes of the combustion chamber or recovery boilers during both periodic and unplanned shutdowns.
Performing prior-to-commissioning inspections of coal-fired boilers to certify the proper execution of the work done by a plant constructor.
Controlling for suspected leakage and assessing the integrity of equipment in radioactive parts or nuclear plants without having to expose humans to radiation.
Visually inspecting the refractory, burners, tubes, and pipes of the combustion chamber during both periodic and unplanned shutdowns.
Gathering visuals to check for the integrity of various confined spaces of a dam such as surge tanks, water canals, penstocks, and flood gates.
Collecting information such as liquid levels or leaks at the top of high-voltage underground transformers to assess their proper functioning.
Performing a general visual inspection to detect cracks and anomalies on the inside of a sky-high chimney within a power plant.
Want to learn even more about how indoor drones are being used in the power generation industry?
Read these case studies to learn the details of specific missions performed with indoor drones in the power generation industry.
Power company Ørsted tested the Elios 2 for an offshore wind turbine inspection and found that it helped them inspect 40% more of the turbine's blade, improve safety, and cut the time needed for the inspection in half. Read the case study.
TVA tested the Elios 2 for the inspection of a scrubber at one of its power plants and found that it helped keep personnel safer while significantly reducing the amount of time required for the inspection. Read the case study.
Pampa Energía, the largest independent energy company in Argentina, invested in the Elios 2 after saving $420,000 in its first test of the Elios 1 for boiler inspections. Read the case study.
DTEK, an energy company based in Ukraine, recently tested the use of the Elios 2 for a chimney inspection and a boiler inspection at one of their power plants. The drone was able to collect visual inspection data much more quickly than the usual method used while keeping personnel out of potentially dangerous scenarios. Read the case study.