Oil and gas will always be part of the bedrock of global energy, fueling economies and powering progress. But such an industry comes with its own set of hurdles, whether it’s the maintenance of vast networks of pipelines, ensuring the safety of offshore rigs, or keeping environmental impacts in check. That’s where drones come in, a technology that is turning the tide and changing the game on how challenges are met.
The unpretentious names for the popularly known drones are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. These are no longer things of the future and are now close to being part of everyday operations in almost every industry across functions. The oil and gas industry is no exception.
From Military Origins to Industry Transformation
Drones, once used exclusively by the military, have spread their wings to live on in realms so far removed from any battlefield. Agriculture, real estate, and emergency response have all gotten into the fray of drone technology. Perhaps no sector has been affected as profoundly as oil and gas, though.
The primary advantages of the application of drones are its ability to provide remote access to sites, which is very useful for inspection, monitoring, and management of oil and gas assets. Drones are cost-effective solutions that also reduce risk. It is safer because it has safe operation with minimal human intervention.
How Are Drones Changing Things?
There is now serious speed of adoption of drones, particularly from the likes of oil majors; including BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Repsol, Saudi Aramco, Shell and Total Energies, using them in some operational capacity since 2010s.
UAV can be put to various applications such as exploration, operations, production, and transportation of products by the oil companies. Some examples include:
- Preliminary site evaluation before sending workers off for exploration activities
- Monitor and inspect the production facilities upon their establishment and maintenance
- Examine storage tanks, pipelines, and other infrastructures
- Obtain and furnish critical topographical information that businesses can use to select the best site to install their facilities.
Tethered drones, VLOS drones, and BVLOS drones are ever in increasing demand for the above task. Let’s discuss the major benefits that the drones offer that make them a commercially viable solution and justifies the strong market demand.
1. Watching Over Pipelines
How hard is it to keep the pipelines safe and secure, miles upon miles crisscrossing this globe, carrying the lifeblood of the oil and gas industry? Traditionally, that’s been possible by sending crews all over the place to make long, arduous inspections, or flying manned aircraft over remote areas. These come with a pretty penny price tag and sometimes even risks attached.
Drones, however, offer a breath of fresh air. They can zip along a pipeline, capturing detailed images and thermal data that can quickly spot issues like corrosion, leaks, or even encroaching vegetation. This allows companies to nip problems in the bud before they escalate, saving time, money, and potentially avoiding environmental disasters.
BP, one of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies, has adopted the use of drones for monitoring pipelines and other critical infrastructure. BP has been equipped with high-resolution cameras and sensors-armed drones to enable the identification of potential issues more speedily and efficiently, thereby substantially diminishing the risk of pipeline leaks.
2. Offshore Rig Inspection-Safer Than Risky End
Offshore oil rigs are engineering miracles, but the ongoing machinery has to be under constant vigil to keep the wheels turning safely. It’s always meant physically sending teams of engineers to actually inspect these structures, many times under challenging and hazardous conditions.
With drones, these inspections are literally a piece of cake. Drones can easily reach areas difficult to access on the rig, such as flare stacks or underdecks, to capture high-definition images that engineers can analyze from the comfort of their office. Not only does this reduce the risks to human workers but also saves on the time and expense of making these critical inspections.
For example, Shell is one of the first companies worldwide to use drones in inspecting offshore rigs. It uses drones to inspect its North Sea platforms, thereby avoiding helicopter shuttles that are expensive and risky. Such a drone has high-definition cameras and thermal imaging sensors for monitoring the condition of Shell’s rigs. 3. Having an Eye on the Environment
3. Keeping an Eye on the Environment
The oil and gas industry is facing ever-stiffer requirements to minimize its environmental footprint as much as possible. And indeed, drones have become the ace up their sleeve. Outfitted with gas detection sensors, they fly over oil fields and pipelines sniffing for traces of leaked methane, one of the principal greenhouse gases.
But that is not the end of the story. Drones are also useful for monitoring the spread of oil, measuring the extent of the damage, and assisting in the organization of clean-up activities. But they can even be used to keep track of wildlife, flora, and water bodies so as to avoid unintended harm from operations. That sort of positive environmental stewardship is not only good for the planet; it’s good for business too.
Example: Chevron has been using drones to inspect its oil fields, assessing their environmental impact-especially in delicate regions like the Amazon rainforest. The drones have helped Chevron to know the cases of oil spills or gas leaks, allowing the company to act promptly in reducing environmental damage.
4. Emergency Response-Faster and Safer
When disaster strikes – be it pipeline rupture, oil spill, or a huge fire, for example, the clock starts ticking. The faster a company can respond, the lesser the damage would be to the environment and on infrastructure but more importantly, to human lives.
Drones can be deployed in the blink of an eye and can provide real-time aerial views, which help emergency response teams get a bird’s eye view of the situation and plan their actions. Where it is too risky for human action to execute entry, drones have gathered critical information that guides a more targeted and effective response.
Example: ExxonMobil has incorporated drones into its emergency response strategy. During a pipeline leak in a remote area, ExxonMobil used drones to quickly assess the situation, providing crucial information to response teams and allowing them to contain the spill more effectively.
5. Mapping and Surveying—At the Speed of Flight
Large-scale surveys and mapping are common in the oil and gas industry, particularly for exploration, construction, or environmental monitoring. Traditionally, this has been a slow boat to China, requiring teams on the ground or manned aircraft.
Drones have turned this process on its head. Using advanced technologies like LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and photogrammetry, drones can quickly create detailed 3D maps of oil fields, pipelines, and other infrastructure. This data can be used for everything from site planning to monitor construction progress, making the whole process faster, cheaper, and more accurate.
Example: Since 2014, ConocoPhillips has utilized drones with LiDAR to map its oil fields within Alaska. The instruments can survive the harsh Arctic environment and can deliver precise and current information on the status of ConocoPhillips’s fields and other infrastructure.
Why Drones are a Game Changer
With all that said, the benefits of using drones in the oil and gas sector go without saying.
1. Safety First
Drones can safely go into risky places. Where workers take many knocks between a rock and a hard place in an industry, drones present a safer alternative to send them into dangerous places like high-altitude structures, confined spaces, or areas where toxic gas emissions might exist.
2. Reducing Costs
Traditionally, inspection and monitoring also consume a lot of time; it goes further than that – being expensive. Helicopters, cranes, and other specialized equipment come with significant price tags attached. Drones are much cheaper, don’t require most heavy machinery, and have significantly reduced the number of workers needed.
3. Real-Time Insights
One of the most impressive aspects of drones is that they can gather data and send it back to headquarters in real time, which means immediate response when there is damage to a pipeline, pollution is discovered, or some environmental issue needs attention. The same data, when integrated into advanced analytics and AI systems, can lead to “predictive maintenance” and smarter decisions for any organization.
4. Reaching the Unreachable
The oil and gas industry operates in some of the most remote and challenging environments on the planet. Drones are uniquely suited to tackle these conditions, providing access to places that would be difficult or impossible to reach by traditional means. This capability is especially valuable for inspecting pipelines, rigs, and other infrastructure in the back of beyond.
5. Protecting the Planet
In a world fast becoming more sustainability-focused, more people than ever are monitoring and minimizing their carbon footprint. One of the ways that the oil and gas industry is also doing this is through drones. These could identify leaks and spills, as well as overall environmental hazards, quite quickly to help prevent damage to the environment while staying compliant with regulations.
Road Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities
While the benefits of drone usage are as clear as the nose in your face, there is still the need to develop solutions to most of these problems to fully unlock their potential in the oil and gas industry.
1. Navigating Regulations
The use of drones is heavily regulated, and these regulations vary from country to country. Companies need to navigate this complex landscape to ensure they are operating within the law. This includes obtaining the necessary permits, adhering to flight restrictions, and ensuring that drones are operated by certified pilots.
2. Securing Data
With drones collecting vast amounts of data, companies need to be vigilant about data security. Protecting this data from unauthorized access or breaches is critical, not just for the company’s reputation but also for regulatory compliance as well.
3. Making It All Work Together
For drones to be most effective, their data needs to get integrated with existing systems and workflows. This often requires investment in new software and infrastructure, as well as training for personnel. But the payoff—more efficient operations and better decision-making—makes it well worth the effort.
4. Understanding Limitations
Drones are powerful tools, but they’re not without their limitations. Battery life, flight range, and payload capacity are all factors that can limit their effectiveness. Companies need to be aware of these limitations and plan their drone operations accordingly.
The Future Is Bright
Driven by the phenomenal growth of drone technology, the application of drones in the oil and gas industry is bound to increase leaps and bounds. Autonomous flight, AI-powered analysis of data, enhanced sensor capability, and innovative applications like intelligent sensors will further expand the scope of work that drones can be used for. And as the sector increases its commitment to sustainability, the role of drones will increase even more toward helping their companies meet environmental objectives.
All things considered, drones have thus far proved to be a valuable addition to oil and gas asset management activities, considering ease of use and the wide array of applications that may drive efficiency gains. With the world envisioning its approach toward net zero carbon emissions, drones will always play a vital role in streamlining and transforming operations to reduce energy consumption as well as carbon emissions. Moreover, data-driven changes are key to optimized operations, and oil and gas companies will capitalize on the growing trend in drone technology to be future ready. After all, it is not about trying to catch up with the trends of technology for the oil and gas industry. It’s about safety, efficiency, and sustainability in operations. As we look toward the future, it is evident that drones will be key drivers in making changes to this industry.
