CYBERHAWK COMPLETES GERMAN ASSIGNMENT FOR INEOS
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 9:42AM
Cyberhawk Innovations, the world's leading remote inspection and survey service company, has recently completed its first overseas assignment for a global petrochemical company. Both flare and chimney inspections were carried out for petrochemical giant INEOS at their Cologne site using Cyberhawk’s Remotely Operated Aerial Vehicle (ROAV) equipped with HD video and still photography cameras. The ROAV is similar to a military drone and is controlled from the ground by an experienced operator.
Up to now, INEOS in Cologne would have had to shut down the flare and either lower the stack to the ground or use a crane in order to carry out an inspection. In this ‘one shot’ approach issues can arise if unexpected repairs are required and spare parts are not readily available. Using the Cyberhawk ROAV enabled the company to inspect the flare ‘on line’ prior to scheduled shutdown and at a convenient time. This ensured replacement parts could be ordered in advance and overall ‘off line’ time was minimised.
Malcolm Connolly, Director, Cyberhawk Innovations says: “We’re pleased to have INEOS, as a client in the UK and delighted to work with INEOS in Cologne. This opportunity came about when one of INEOS’ senior Germany engineers was on secondment to their Grangemouth plant and was impressed by our ROAV inspection method. As a result, we were invited to Cologne to discuss the use of the ROAVs to inspect chimneys and flares.”
Malcolm adds: “The ROAV is able to quickly obtain highly detailed images of complex and sometimes inaccessible structures. Expert analysis of these images can identify any potential faults that require attention. Moreover, using this method avoids all the health and safety issues normally associated with a manual inspection at height. The client was absolutely delighted with the results and now they can plan their maintenance in a more timely fashion.”
Operations Manager at INEOS Cologne, Dr Christoph Breitkopf comments: “We were aware of the capabilities of Cyberhawk from their activities at our site in Grangemouth. Their aerial drone enabled us to inspect the flare safely and efficiently whilst it was still in operation and in advance of our scheduled shutdown. Inspection using images provided from the aerial ROAV proved most beneficial in allowing us to ascertain the condition of the flare and plan in advance the schedule for its overhaul.”
Cyberhawk uses ROAVs – Remotely Operated Aerial Vehicles – equipped with HD video and still cameras to carry out technical inspections of a wide variety of structures including live flare towers, chimney stacks, cooling towers, wind turbines and electricity pylons. For further information please visit www.cyberhawkinnovations.co.uk or call +44 1506 592187.
