Inspector 4.0 Case Study: Paper Mill Tank Inspection
The challenges surrounding interior inspection challenges are many. From the physical risk to humans to accurately pinpointing locations that require attention, the role of the maintenance manager has been forced to rely on outdated methods for too long.
Thankfully, the software and drone technology of Inspector 4.0 and Elios 3 can dramatically overhaul the process. This was something that drone inspection company, AEROVISION Drone Support GmbH, was keen to explore during a recent paper mill tank inspection task in Austria.
The Asset
The company already had a good working relationship with the paper mill in question. Previous tasks utilising Elios 3 had already successfully reduced asset downtime and entirely removed the risk of human entry inspection.
Elios 3 is the product of innovative robotics company, Flyability. When they announced the release of a new software – Inspector 4.0 – AEROVISION Drone Support GmbH felt an upcoming tank inspection was the ideal place to test it out.
The asset was a huge industrial tank measuring 25 metres high and 10 metres wide. A traditional human-entry inspection of the interior required the lengthy erection and dismantling of scaffolding (a two-day task) plus the time it took for an inspector to cover the entirety of the interior surface.
Every hour that the tank is out of action costs around €20,000.
The Challenges
Previous successful inspections has already proven the abilities of Elios 3 to the client. Not only did this reduce the overall inspection downtime from five days to a mere six hours (equalling €960,000) but it returned data of such high quality that it completely removed the need for direct visual data collection within the tank.
However, there was a further, extremely signficant improvement to be made:
The need to accurately pinpoint the location of any defects found: This would speed up the process of any necessary physical maintenance needed. It also makes monitoring the defect’s progression a much simpler task.
Over time, this would also make determining the Mean Time Before Failure ( MTBF) an easier process.
By testing the capabilities of the new Inspector 4.0 software, the challenges were successfully overcome.
In Conclusion
The software allowed the data collected from an Elios 3 inspection to create a detailed 3D image. Not only did this show the exact location, but it helped the maintenance team understand the dynamics of the defect and determine its progression.
As Markus Rockenschaub, MD and Founder of AEROVISION Drone Support GmbH said,
“Inspector 4.0 answers the question, “Where am I inside this asset?” so I can visually see where a defect is, instead of trying to imagine the location.”
This data localisation feature helps maintenance and inspection teams gain key insights into asset defects, define potential issues and asset dynamics, as well as providing exact access points should maintenance work need to be carried out.
Inspector 4.0 and Elios 3 are just two examples of the latest technology that Nexxis uses to solve their client’s complex inspection challenges. Gone are the days when lengthy downtime and high-risk practices are the norm – we can help you determine the technology-based methods that will improve the process and save you money.
Contact us to find out more learn more about our drone products or request a quote online.
