Oil and gas drone inspection: opportunities, advantages and use cases

The oil and gas industry today faces numerous challenges. Regulators are tightening environmental protection requirements. Employees need to be provided with safe working conditions. Extensive oil and gas pipeline infrastructure must be managed efficiently while reducing costs and increasing productivity.

All these issues are addressed through regular inspections at oil and gas facilities, but the cost and time expenditure for these procedures are associated with enormous expenses and suspension of oil production. Companies are seeking new methods for site inspections, and the most technologically advanced among them is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the petroleum industry.

In this article, we will examine how drones are revolutionizing the oil and gas sector: their technical capabilities, use cases, advantages, and benefits of implementation for inspections.

What we will discuss in this article

Pipeline theft and illegal tapping
Ensuring the security of extensive pipeline networks presents a significant challenge. Traditional surveillance methods often prove ineffective and costly, with annual losses from oil theft amounting to billions of dollars. Oil and gas drone surveillance can significantly improve security measures.

UNU-WIDER analysts have also determined that the annual volume of oil theft accounts for roughly 5% of the entire global oil market. Considering that in recent years, global production has been nearly 100 million barrels per day (bpd), about 5 million bpd simply vanishes from the legal market daily.

One of the most striking examples of how a country with colossal hydrocarbon reserves can miss out on profits due to security issues is Nigeria. A report by the Nigerian Ministry of Petroleum notes that the country has lost almost $29 billion in ten years due to oil theft. For comparison, Nigeria's budget expenditures in that period amounted to $31 billion.The report also describes the main methods of hydrocarbon theft: oil is stolen from export terminals, oil depots, refinery storage facilities, terminals, and ports. Perpetrators also punch holes in major pipelines and insert small pipes to siphon off oil.

As a result, by 2022, production in Nigeria had fallen by 48% to 1.29 million bpd. Potentially, this situation could have been prevented by changing the approach to monitoring the entire infrastructure and implementing drone-based asset management.

Costly monitoring and maintenance of oil refineries and offshore platforms
Critical infrastructure such as oil refineries and offshore platforms require regular inspections, which are often expensive and dangerous for the specialists conducting them. This is particularly relevant for facilities located in hard-to-reach areas. The costs of traditional inspection methods can reach millions of dollars per year for a single large facility.

Today, the most common method for pipeline monitoring remains regular patrols using manned aircraft and high-mobility vehicles. However, these methods are neither the most practical nor economically advantageous. Helicopter flyovers are very expensive, while all-terrain vehicles are slow-moving and require regular maintenance.

For inspecting high-altitude or remote objects, such as offshore drilling platforms, helicopter flyovers with worker descents are also used. Such methods are employed in Norway and the Gulf of Mexico. This poses significant risks to personnel. The use of drones in these cases allows for both substantial cost reduction and risk mitigation while ensuring operational continuity.

Environmental risks due to oil spills
Oil spills and gas leaks require immediate detection and response, as environmental disasters can develop rapidly. For instance, a couple of years ago, one of the largest American oil pipelines, Keystone, operated by the Canadian company TC Energy, experienced the most significant oil spill in a decade. As a result, over 14,000 barrels of oil contaminated a water body in Kansas.

Detecting oil spills is a challenging task. Currently, various technologies are employed for this purpose: satellites, aircraft, and vessels equipped with infrared and ultraviolet sensors. However, the most effective and cost-efficient option is to utilize thermal imaging drones for pipeline monitoring, which can efficiently monitor large areas and hard-to-reach locations.

Personnel safety in the Oil and Gas Industry
Working in the oil and gas industry is associated with high risks. The sector generally experiences elevated injury rates due to natural hazards in the workplace, the use of dangerous equipment, and heavy machinery. Ensuring employee safety is a top priority for oil production companies.

To mitigate risks, companies are implementing automation, remote monitoring, and the use of drones for inspecting hazardous and hard-to-reach areas, which reduces the need for physical human presence.

1. Drones for protecting Oil and Gas Infrastructure
As discussed earlier, safeguarding oil and gas infrastructure against vandalism and security breaches is paramount. Drones can patrol perimeters, detect intrusions, transmit real-time video feeds to security personnel, track targets, and enhance overall asset protection efficiency.

Drones equipped with advanced imaging technologies, including thermal cameras and multispectral sensors, can provide real-time monitoring and surveillance. They can be programmed to conduct scheduled or on-demand inspections, capturing high-resolution images and videos for analysis.

2. Drones for remote pipeline inspection
Traditionally, oil or gas pipelines are inspected by on-site specialists. As they need to cover numerous facilities, these inspections are time-consuming and costly. Remote inspection using autonomous drones allows extraction companies to regularly inspect all facilities without deploying personnel.

UAVs with specialized sensors and thermal cameras can detect damage, assess structural integrity and the condition of compressor stations, and identify gas or oil leaks. Moreover, 24/7 autonomous aerial monitoring of pipelines reduces the risk of illegal activities.

3. UAV-based infrastructure inspection and condition assessment
In the oil and gas industry, it's crucial to monitor and protect valuable assets such as oil rigs and storage facilities. Traditional inspection methods often require shutting down flare stacks and tanks for several days. With drones, this is unnecessary, meaning production doesn't need to be halted.

Furthermore, drones facilitate:

• Inspection of drilling rigs and equipment.
• Examination of oil refinery infrastructure.
• Inspection of floating roofs on above-ground oil tanks.
• Flare stack inspections.
• Offshore platform inspections.
• Surveying of buildings and other facilities in oil production areas.

4. Environmental monitoring and regulatory compliance verification
The oil and gas industry faces growing demand to reduce environmental impact. Drones equipped with advanced environmental sensors provide round-the-clock monitoring of air quality, water sources, and surrounding vegetation.

Such thorough monitoring allows companies not only to reduce environmental impact but also to ensure strict compliance with regulatory requirements, such as methane emissions.

5. Emergency response
In emergencies such as oil spills or fires, drones help immediately alert special services about the need to prevent a catastrophe. This lightning-fast reaction minimizes environmental damage.

UAVs can quickly assess the situation, gather crucial data, and provide real-time information to emergency response teams.This proactive approach not only facilitates faster decision-making but also improves the accuracy of resource allocation, ultimately leading to more effective crisis management.

To learn more about how drones assist in emergency response and maintain public order, please refer to this article →

6. Ensuring employee safety
In oil and gas extraction, workers interact with flammable materials, toxic gases, complex equipment, and work at great heights. All of this can lead to workplace injuries.

UAVs eliminate the need for workers to be present in such dangerous locations. Equipped with high-resolution cameras, thermal sensors, and LiDAR technology, drones can capture images from various angles without human intervention in hazardous areas.

Thus, by implementing drones, oil and gas companies can reduce expenses on medical insurance and personal protective equipment.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) possess several characteristics that enable them to effectively address the aforementioned challenges:

• Mobility and flexibility. Drones can rapidly traverse large distances and access hard-to-reach areas.
• High-quality cameras and sensors. Modern UAVs are equipped with high-resolution cameras and thermal imaging systems capable of detecting defects or leaks.
• Autonomy. Drones can perform missions without constant operator control, which is particularly important for regular inspections.
• Integration with AI and machine learning. This allows for automated analysis of collected data and anomaly detection.
• Ability to operate in hazardous conditions. Drones can conduct inspections in zones too risky for humans or in severe weather conditions.

However, not all drones possess these characteristics. Some models cannot provide comprehensive monitoring of the entire territory due to frequent battery recharging requirements. This results in observation interruptions and the risk of undetected violations during drone downtime.

Let's examine the UAV model that is ideally suited for conducting inspections and monitoring of oil and gas infrastructure — Drone-in-a-box by Microavia.

24/7 Autonomous flight
Microavia's drone-in-a-box operates continuously, following pre-programmed routes with automatic battery replacement instead of lengthy recharging. This ensures virtually zero downtime, maintaining constant surveillance over extensive oil and gas facilities.

Automatic battery replacement for continuous coverage offers two main advantages:

• Maximum operational efficiency – virtually no gaps in surveillance.
• Enhanced safety – constant coverage reduces the likelihood of missing critical threats or equipment malfunctions in remote locations.

Functional cameras
The drone's camera constantly scans, rotates, and zooms to provide coverage of the entire monitored area. Even the most remote parts of the facility are under constant surveillance. Microavia's drone-in-box is equipped with advanced imaging systems for detecting threats and anomalies at great distances:

• Сamera with 30x optical zoom enables long-range detection and visual confirmation of objects with high clarity.
• Long-range thermal imaging camera provides detection of heat signatures and potential threats or equipment malfunctions (such as leaks, oil spills, or unauthorized personnel) even in low visibility conditions like dust storms, rain, or nighttime.

Learn more →

Seamless VMS Integration
The drones integrate with existing Video Management Systems (VMS – Control Room Integration). Control room operators receive real-time alerts about breaches, spills, or equipment failures, enabling immediate decisions on personnel deployment.

Furthermore, Microavia drone inspections can be scaled across multiple facilities, including extensive pipelines, offshore platforms, and oil refineries.

AI and Machine Learning integration
We have incorporated advanced AI into Microavia UAVs for object detection, suspicious activity tracking, and alert dispatching to the control center. This provides our drone with:

• An advanced AI-based landing system with a proprietary algorithm
• An AI-powered battery replacement algorithm to ensure optimal battery care
• Autonomous hazard detection with a database of positions, timestamps, and classifications
• Elimination of human error in operations. Surveying hundreds of kilometers under AI control, providing accurate and reliable information to the operator

Reliable operation in harsh conditions
The Microavia Drone-in-a-box system is designed to operate in extreme conditions, ensuring continuous operation regardless of circumstances. Heat, rain, and dust – it doesn't matter. The drone is engineered to function in high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and even dust storms, making it ideal for monitoring facilities in challenging climatic conditions.

• Local production in the GCC. Microavia is based in the UAE, conducting its own software and hardware development. This ensures a high level of supply chain security and positions the company as a reliable partner for government clients.
• Enhanced management efficiency. Thanks to Microavia's drone, which continuously collects data, facility managers receive accurate information about refinery operations. Automated inspections improve the quality and frequency of checks, identifying malfunctions at an early stage and preventing potential disasters, all without human intervention. By utilizing Microavia technology, refineries can minimize downtime while enhancing safety and efficiency.
• Enhancing efficiency and cost savings. By deploying autonomous drones housed in secure, weatherproof boxes, these systems can operate remotely, eliminating the need for manual intervention. This not only saves valuable time, but also provides continuous monitoring and verification, allowing for rapid response to potential problems or emergencies around the clock.

Implementing a drone program requires initial capital expenditure, but offers significant long-term cost benefits:

Seamless integration of drones into technical security systems is crucial for operational optimization and efficiency. Drone-in-a-box systems can be meticulously programmed for autonomous connection to activated sensors, whether they are perimeter sensors, video surveillance analytics, or fire alarms. This integration not only streamlines security protocols but also enhances response capabilities.

7 steps to effectively integrate drones into your workflows:

• Needs assessment. Identify tasks and areas where drones can provide the most benefit, such as leak detection or corrosion identification.
• Equipment selection. Choose drones and sensors suitable for specific tasks. For example, Microavia drones are equipped with thermal imaging cameras or functional cameras.
• Personnel training. Train operators in drone operation and data processing. With our solution, this won't take much time.
• Data integration. Ensure compatibility of drone data with existing asset management and analytics systems.
• Regulations and standards. Develop drone usage procedures that comply with industry safety standards.
• Testing and pilot projects. Conduct pilot projects to verify effectiveness and identify potential improvements.
• Monitoring and reporting. Implement analysis systems and standardize reports to track inspection results and maintain quality control.

Proper integration maximizes the value of drone technology by enhancing existing processes rather than creating parallel systems.

UAVs are driving transformations in the oil and gas industry, unlocking a multitude of innovative opportunities that not only enhance operational efficiency but also strengthen safety protocols and environmental compliance.

Drones are reshaping the industry landscape by performing a wide array of tasks: from infrastructure assessment and asset surveillance to rapid emergency response and meticulous flare stack inspections. With their autonomous capabilities, they offer unprecedented agility, providing swift access to remote locations and accelerated data collection coupled with precise analysis.

Research and practical experience of companies demonstrate a range of benefits from implementing UAVs in the oil and gas sector:

1. Reduction in safety incidents by 30-40% within the first two years following drone implementation.
2. Decrease in the number of major pipeline leaks.
3. Reduction in personnel injuries during inspections in hazardous areas.
4. Cost savings through risk mitigation — prevention of accidents at oil refineries.
5. Decreased frequency of fines for environmental regulation violations.