The energy and chemicals company was recognised for its development & deployment of the Hybrid UT Inspection Drone, an innovative way of inspecting elevated pipes.

Aramco received the Innovation Award – Saudi Arabia at the Asian Oil & Gas Awards 2024, which commended the company for fostering operational efficiency as well as safety through the Hybrid UT Inspection Drone system.

Adapting innovation

The Hybrid UT Inspection Drone is an innovative scanning drone developed by Aramco, which has transformed the inspection of elevated pipes by eliminating the need for scaffolding. This cutting-edge system combines a drone with a small inspection crawler robot that magnetically attaches to high pipes. Once in place, the crawler performs ultrasonic (UT) scans and provides unparalleled inspection capabilities. Unlike the traditional inspection drones that are limited to spot checks, the Hybrid UT Inspection Drone offers comprehensive 360-degree scans around the pipe and linear scans along its length. It covers all surfaces including the top, sides, and bottom. This hybrid drone-robot solution marks a significant advancement in pipe inspection technology, surpassing existing market offerings.

Furthermore, the Hybrid UT Inspection Drone technology is protected by multiple filed patent applications. What makes it unique is its ability to conduct thorough scans of elevated pipes—even in crowded environments where traditional drones struggle. By eliminating the need for scaffolding and manual inspections, the Hybrid UT Inspection Drone not only enhances operational efficiency, but also delivers substantial safety and cost benefits.

Business impact

The Hybrid UT Inspection Drone has positively affected the business in terms of health and safety, cost, time, sustainability, and access.

Additionally, the Hybrid UT Inspection Drone addresses the risks of scaffolding-related injuries, which are a major concern across various industries.

Large oil and gas facilities typically have thousands of elevated corrosion monitoring locations (CMLs) that require periodic manual inspection using scaffolding. The Hybrid UT Inspection Drone dramatically reduces these inspection costs by eliminating scaffolding requirements.

Moreover, erecting scaffolding is a labour-intensive and time-consuming process, often taking up a significant portion of the total inspection time. The Hybrid UT Inspection Drone reduces this time from days to minutes, streamlining the inspection process and enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Additionally, the Hybrid UT Inspection Drone overcomes accessibility challenges which can be seen in older oil and gas facilities. The tool makes it possible to inspect areas that were previously hard to reach.

The financial advantages of using the Hybrid UT Inspection Drone are considerable, especially when deploying multiple drones to cover all elevated inspection points. The positive feedback from Aramco facilities underscores the substantial safety and cost benefits of this technology.

Having successfully completed field-testing and validation stages, the Hybrid UT Inspection Drone is now in the deployment phase for wide adoption across numerous Aramco facilities. This technology is poised to revolutionise pipe inspection, providing a safer, more efficient, and cost-effective solution for the industry.

The Asian Oil and Gas Awards recognises the most outstanding players in Asia’s oil and gas sector. The awards programme is for companies that have risen above various challenges and remained steadfast despite a very challenging environment. It further honours those with successful strategies and initiatives in adapting to the new reality, and those that push for digital transformation and have risen above the hurdles.

The Asian Power Awards is presented by Asian Power Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2024 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company’s revolutionary innovations and initiatives in the power industry in Asia, please contact Danica Avila at [email protected].