Cyberhawk, a drone inspection company, has signed a global teaming agreement with John Zink Hamworthy Combustion (JZHC), a provider of smart combustion solutions
Cyberhawk will support JZHC with worldwide aerial inspections of industrial assets and comprehensive inspection reporting. JZHC and Cyberhawk inspection engineers will work together to analyse and evaluate all integrity aspects of UAV flare inspection data, with JZHC providing operational, remediation and/or replacement recommendations.
Since completing the first drone flare inspection in 2010, Cyberhawk has inspected more than 800 onshore and offshore flares in more than 30 countries.
The use of drones for industrial asset inspections has grown significantly over the past decade. The ability to inspect in-service flares can eliminate millions of OPEX dollars from the bottom line of a company.
Detection and monitoring of changes to an operational flare system could potentially avoid future unplanned shutdowns due to early detection. These dollars can be better served by upgrading systems and/or designing preventive UAV inspection programmes.
The company stated that the safety risks presented by traditional access methods are also eliminated, including working at significant heights and in a potentially hazardous industrial environment.
While using drone-mounted cameras to capture detailed visual and thermal data, typical inspected components include flare tips, pilot burners, stack, ladders, platforms, molecular seals and steam lines. The images obtained are analysed and recommendations are provided. This leads to better maintenance planning and decision-making processes for the customer.
Chris Fleming, CEO at Cyberhawk, said, “We are delighted to team with John Zink, a company which shares our ethos of helping clients enhance the safety, reliability and efficiency of their assets. Drones have changed the face of complex industrial inspections, with flare inspection being one area in which the most powerful efficiencies can be gained. We look forward to introducing high-quality drone flare inspection services to an even wider global audience.”
