Where drones offer a particular advantage is in situations where a human operator either cannot or should not be present. In terms of gas detection, this can include locations that are either difficult to access or which are inherently unsafe, including hazardous locations where explosive or toxic gases may be present, or where structures may be potentially unsafe. They can also offer an advantage where a holistic overview of a site may be required, with the ability to travel much faster than a human operator on foot and the ability to access areas that would not otherwise be possible with a vehicle-based system.
Drone deployment can help not just in the urban jungles of Bangladesh and other cityscapes across the region, but also across desert landscapes such as those in Saudi Arabia where gas is distributed for domestic use and across large open expanses to big chemical processing plants.
Extra advantages can be achieved by using measurements taken by the drone in conjunction with specific location-based measurements by localized sensors, helping to pinpoint not just the location of a potential gas leak but also more specific information such as the duration and even potential cause of the leak. Drones are today used on well pads, bridges and other difficult to access locations to support safety inspections. Covering large areas whilst moving at speed, UAV solutions such as ABB’s HoverGuard provide fast and highly accurate identification for potential leakage points with low cost and guarantee of safety.