Optimizing Petrochemical Tank Inspections with Drone Services

In this blog post, we’ll explore how Nucleom’s cutting-edge drone solution optimizes petrochemical tank inspections. Our drone inspection services enable high resolution inspections of tank roofs and internals, without the need for personnel entry to identify corrosion, cracks, leaks, and other defects that may cause safety hazards and costly damage. It also allows our clients to make informed decisions on repairing and maintaining their tanks. We’ll share success stories of clients who gained valuable information that would have been difficult to gather without confined space entry or working at heights. Learn how our innovative solutions can improve your operational efficiency, reduce downtime, and increase productivity while enhancing safety.

Introduction

Drones are cutting-edge solutions that enable inspections of the roof and internals of petrochemical tanks to identify asset condition or extent of damage. Using drones for inspection has improved the way that industries operate by streamlining inspection procedures, reducing costs, improving accuracy, efficiency, and safety, and enhancing decision-making capabilities.

Benefits of Drone Inspection

The latest inspection drones are equipped with a range of cameras, NDT sensors and equipment that can identify corrosion, cracks, leaks, and other defects in petrochemical tanks. One of the most beneficial objectives of drone inspection is to enhance operational efficiency and enable rapid decision-making to help optimize maintenance and repair processes, while taking humans out of situations involving confined spaces and working at heights.

Success Story: Tank Roof Inspection

Nucleom used a combination of confined space and general use drones to conduct external and internal visual inspections of a tank’s damaged roof and related structures, which had suffered severe damage due to over pressurization. The drone inspection revealed the extent of the damage, including the ruptured roof-to-shell welds, deformations, and damaged/detached roof rafters. The drones also captured damage at the roof guard rails, damage which had not been visible from ground level. The inspections provided valuable information that would have been difficult to obtain from the ground due to safety concerns (stair access was prohibited) or would have required confined space entry.

Partnering with Advanced Tank 3D Scanning Experts

Complementary to the drone inspections, Nucleom has an established group of 3D tank scanning experts to provide high-quality services when it comes to tank strapping and structural analysis.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about our drone inspection solutions or would like to discuss your inspection needs, contact our sales team

For more information on Nucleom’s drone solutions, visit the following LINK

 

WRITTEN BY VINOTH THARMA, P. Eng.

Vinoth Tharma is the Operations Manager at Nucleom Inc., overseeing the day-to-day operations of regional offices and acting as a technical lead for Mechanical Integrity Services. He manages business development, stakeholder relations and projects at customer sites in various roles such as project manager, supervisor, or inspector. Vinoth previously held technical, project management, and leadership positions at North American inspection and engineering service providers, developing and implementing asset integrity programs and conducting inspections to ensure safety. Vinoth holds a BASc. in Materials Science and Engineering from U of T, anda Certificate in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small Business. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario and Manitoba, a certified Project Management Professional, and holds multiple industry inspector certifications.

About us

Nucleom, a Canadian NDE company founded in the province of Quebec, has been extensively involved in non-destructive examination services in Canada and internationally since 2010.  A combination of site experience and NDE tool design know-how gives Nucleom an in-depth perspective of on-site challenges for the NDE system operation. Nucleom’s expertise extends into areas of NDE tool development, tool integration and site inspection campaign execution. Nucleom now has offices in Quebec (Quebec City/Montreal), Ontario (Whitby/Kincardine) and Alberta (Edmonton).