Maintenance Technology July 2017 - 19

INSPECTION SOLUTIONS

■ UK Civil Aviation Authority issued regulations related
to Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) as CAP
722-Unmanned Aircraft System Operations in UK
Airspace for regulating RPAS operation in UK.
■ EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) Basic
Regulation, adopted in December 2016 by the European
Implementing drones
Council, contains the first ever European Union-wide
As with anything, you must do some prep work to successrules for civil drones to fly safely in European airspace.
fully implement a drone-based inspection program. Based
This regulation contains general principles on revised
on your organization's activities, ensure that you have
common safety rules for civil aviation and a new
estimates for all of the costs that will allow you to perform
mandate for EASA. On the basis of these principles,
drone-based inspections. Currently, there two ways of
EASA will develop more detailed rules
operating drones-you can either
on drones through an implementation
purchase a drone or hire a droneGovernments are
act, thus making it easier to update the
inspection-service company.
rules as technology develops.
Should you decide to purchase a
in the process
Rapid development of drone techdrone, evaluate the regulations and
nology
for commercial and industrial
cost requirements. The major compoof drafting or
use has out-paced policy makers in
nent costs are:
amending laws
many countries. Various govern■ drone purchase cost
ments are in the process of drafting or
■ cost of acquiring the cameras and
and regulations
amending existing laws and regulations.
sensors that will address your
Information regarding progress by
organization's needs
governing the use
various countries with respect to enact■ software applications for imaging
of drones.
ment of drone laws can be obtained from
and analytics
respective government authorities.
■ training or hiring a drone pilot
■ obtaining relevant permits
and licenses
Minimizing risk
■ type of data you need to gather and how to handle
While UAVs have been successfully deployed globally for
it, uploaded to either a cloud-based server or
the past five years to inspect hazardous energy and petrocompany servers
chemical sites, manufacturers are still defining what can
■ network requirements.
universally be understood to be an intrinsically safe droneIf your choice is to hire a drone-inspection-service
inspection platform. Specific health and safety plans will
company:
differ from facility to facility, but there is a set of guiding
■ research and obtain the costs of hiring a drone service
principles that successfully reduce the risk of professional
that will address your needs
UAV inspection operations to acceptable levels.
■ consider other factors such as the relevant licenses
Power sources: Most professional UAV platforms now
required for the area to be inspected
use brushless, magnetic motors that dramatically reduce
■ confirm the type of data and reports the company
risk of ignition from friction. While some long-range
provides after the inspections.
and heavy-lift UAVs are powered by liquid fuel, any UAV
platform used to inspect hazardous sites will be powered
with sealed batteries. It is important, when flying over sites
Drone regulations
such as live flare stacks, to minimize the risk of sparks
As with any technology of this type, there are rules and
on battery connectors or of UAV-mounted components
regulations that control commercial and industrial use of
(such as external batteries and sensor payloads) falling.
drones:
UAV platforms that incorporate internal batteries inside
■ The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued Partthe UAV's body, together with sensor payloads that are
107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations in August 2016,
mechanically integrated into that UAV, should therefore be
providing guidance for operating requirements, pilot
deployed on these types of projects.
certification, and device certification for UAVs.
Additional thermal or gas sensors: Professional-grade
■ The Canadian government has incorporated/amended
inspection cameras now often incorporate thermal and
rules for certification and compliance requirements for
visual sensors. Even if it is only photographic data that
UAVs as section 602.41 of Canadian Aviation Regulais being captured for an inspection project, the real-time
tions SOR/96-433.
■ access to inspectors for investigations without plantshutdown requirements.
In addition, drones may be the only data-acquisition
option in emergency/accident situations.

JULY 2017

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology July 2017