Reduce time: How commercial drones can reduce productivity downtime.

At Paragon Drones, we follow what we like to call the three R’s. They stand for:

• Reduce Risk
• Reduce Time
• Reduce Costs

In this article we will outline just how a Drone can reduce the downtime of maintenance and inspections.

The use of commercial drones is flourishing across the UK, but there is still a certain amount of hesitation among industries to embrace this new wave of technological innovation. Perhaps this apprehension comes from the lack of available resources online. Research around drones is difficult, especially if you are based in the UK as available articles and resources are hard to come by. Here at Paragon Drones we have decided to bridge the gap and explain just how Drones can help reduce the time it takes for certain jobs to be completed.

Transmission and distribution

Many engineers already use drones from utility operations such as power line inspections. Not only can drones literally give you a birds-eye view but they are stronger than you think. In 2017 after Hurricane Maria caused massive damage in Puerto Rico, drones were used to pull thousands of feet of conductor wire across the area. This kind of work would usually take several months to complete, but with the use of a team of high-tech drones, it only took 8 weeks.

Bridges, overpasses and motorways

Traditionally, to inspect the inside of a bridge, a special vehicle is needed, known as an Under Bridge Inspection Unit or UBIU. These large vehicles require road and lane closures
to operate. However, in most cases, a drone is a far quicker and easier way to access the underside of a bridge. In America, drones are being used more and more for exactly these kinds of inspections with an average time saving of over 40% compared to traditional methods. Not only can it save time but with high tech drones, superior data can be collected

Such as 3D modelling – producing digital twin – which allows for more informed decision making.

Oil and gas pipelines

The yearly industrial spend of surface and sub-surface inspection of oil and gas pipelines are in the billions of dollars, and the risks of these inspections not being completed are high, from contaminated water supplies to ruining entire fields of crops in farmland. Drones can swiftly inspect hundreds of miles of pipeline with aerial imagery that can help pinpoint landscape changes, helping to discover possible pipeline leaks.

Solar and wind farm inspection

Drones mounted with infrared imaging allows for quick and effective inspection of both solar and wind farms. With an infrared camera, drones can collect images to help examine the blade of a wind turbine inside and out. Fast and easy.

Railway

The UK has over 10 thousand miles of railway and every mile of that requires regular safety checks for wear and tear, as well as examining damage of events such as derailment or landslides. Drones can drastically speed up these inspections and eliminate the need to shut down the rail as traditional inspections would.

Drones have the capability to provide a more detailed, faster solution to most of the other methods of planning, development and inspection. These industries inspections are not going to be replaced entirely but drones provide an opportunity that we are sure will become the norm. Drones allow the option to capture massive amounts of data in a single flight, something which would have taken weeks to complete is now just a matter of days.

Reduce Risk | Reduce Time | Reduce Costs