Robotic Inspection

Robotic inspection can provide significant advantages over current methods of

inspection; this includes the ability to assist human inspectors 24/7, and have the
ability to operate in hazardous, harsh and dirty environments. The petrochemical
industry has begun to explore the potential of robotic devices for the inspection
of assets within their business sectors. This has placed robotics in an ideal
position to be an integral part of the inspection and maintenance
strategies.vlcsnap-2014-09-24-12h20m24s28

From the asset owner perspective, several drivers for the use of the technology are
key for the uptake of robotics within the industry. The main drivers can be
categorised under 3 topics:

Safety
Environmental
Economic
Safety
Safety aspects can be classified into three groups:

Personnel safety
Asset safety
Technology safety
The health and safety of all personnel is the primary driver for each of the asset
owners. The removal of personnel from hazardous situations is the single most
contributing consideration for the use of robotic solutions, in particular within
confined spaces (for example entering a PV). By removing humans from these
hazardous environments, dramatic improvements concerning the safety of workers can
be achieved. It should be noted that this is not only limed to inspection and
maintenance, but is valid for all aspects of petrochemical plant operations.

HAKThe second aspect is asset safety. This is the primary reason for intervention
of the asset, i.e. shutting the asset down for inspection. The inspection tasks are
designed to keep the asset in good and safe operating conditions whilst the asset
is in operation. For example, if there is a loss of containment during operations,
there could potentially be personnel and environmental hazards that can occur and
consequently result in devastating outcomes. The asset must therefore be kept in a
safe working order.

The third aspect is technology safety. The assets that are vital to the industry
put strong demands on the robot technology regarding its design and requirements.
Not only must the robotic solutions be safe to use within the environment, they
must be robust enough to work in the environment, and must conform to the
industry’s safety guidelines.

Increased safety is the major desired outcome of robotic inspection and the
successful uptake of robotic solutions for asset inspection will be highly
dependent thereon.

Environmental
The processes concerning the inspection of an asset, such as cleaning and venting,
have an impact on the environment. Often when an asset is opened, there is a
possible release of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Robotic solutions will
therefore be able to add value towards the reduction of the environmental impact by
minimising the opening of assets due to procedures such as in-line inspection.

Economic
An expensive part of inspection is taking the asset off-line; the associated
downtime and loss of production whilst the facilities are not operational have a
financial impact. Robotic solutions could limit the need for taking assets off-line
and thereby reducing the economic impact of inspections.
Asset inspection robotic systems
IMG_0467There are a number of different robots being developed for the inspection
of assets, however these are mainly in the prototype stage or being used in the
power generation industry for the inspection of turbines, steam chests, or the
inspection of wind turbine support columns and blades. Applications in the oil, gas
and petrochemical industry for asset inspections are limited, but the robotic
solutions that are being used are typically remote controlled crawlers that use
magnetic wheels. These are able to climb the walls and even the roof of
(horizontal) assets. Some are able to cover the whole inside area of an asset
(without internals) and even negotiate simple obstacles themselves. So far they
have been used for applications like the inspection of clean steam chests, PVs, and
ASTs from the
outside. Although asset inspection typically requires assets to be taken out of
operation, robotic solutions with the capability of inspecting an AST floor while
the tank remains in service are available. Examples of robotic systems that can be
used for asset inspection include the OTIS, developed by A.Hak, and the MagneBike
and FAST, developed by Alstom Inspection Robotic

Benefits and Drawbacks of Robotic Inspections

There are numerous reasons that companies may choose to use robots to conduct
inspections. Here are a few of them.

Robots Can Go Places People Can’t

Robots can go many places that people can’t or would rather not go. They can fit
into small spaces, easily climb up walls and move around inside machinery or
vehicles. This can make inspections more thorough and simpler to perform.

Using Robots Improves Worker Safety

Using robots allows workers to avoid potentially dangerous inspection sites by
enabling them to conduct inspections remotely. Rather than hanging from wires to
inspect a wind turbine, for instance, workers can send drones up to examine the
blades. Workers can also avoid heavy manufacturing equipment, underwater components
of offshore drilling pads and other potentially hazardous locations.

Robots Increase Efficiency

Robotic inspections can often be completed more quickly than human ones can because
they eliminate the need to take equipment apart or otherwise interfere with it to
inspect it. Plus, automated inspections can run in the background, while workers
attend to other value-added tasks.

Robots Improve Organization

The data from robotic inspections often gets sent directly to business systems,
eliminating the need for a human worker to record data and transfer it from place
to place. This data is stored over long periods and is easily accessible at any
time. Companies can analyze this data to learn more about the health of their
systems and improve their maintenance strategies.

Robots Lower Costs

Using robots to perform inspections means that industrial companies don’t need to
have multiple workers on site for these checks. If they can use fully automated
bots, workers don’t need to take extra time out of their workday to conduct
inspections. The ease with which these reviews can get finished also means that
they can be conducted more frequently, enhancing preventative maintenance
activities and reducing the costs associated with performing repairs on equipment.

Drawbacks
Robots are not always the ideal solution, however. Some of their disadvantages are
as follows.

Robots Require a Relatively High Upfront Investment

Although inspections themselves may cost less when using a robot, purchasing
robotic inspection equipment does require a substantial upfront investment.
Companies may, however, be able to rent these devices or outsource inspections to a
company that uses them.

Robots Don’t Respond Well to All Unexpected Situations

Robots are not quite as versatile as people. While they may exceed at one specific
task, they might not be able to adapt if something unexpected occurs. This means
that they may not pick up on rare issues that a human inspector might. Because of
this limitation, it may be helpful to supplement robotic-powered examinations with
occasional human-powered ones.

A More Automated Future?

As robotic tools become more advanced and also more affordable, more industrial
companies are using them to perform checks of equipment and facilities. Utilizing
these inspection robots can increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve worker
safety. As this trend continues, we will see more companies using automated
inspection bots and see new kinds of automation tools come about.

It’s crucial that manufacturers and other industrial companies evaluate the use of
robotic inspection equipment on a case-by-case basis to ensure that they can get
the most out of this advanced technology. They will also need to train workers in
how to use these devices and develop a deployment plan so that they can introduce
them without disrupting activities. Inspection tools likely won’t be the only
robotic or automation equipment a company deploys. Integrating all of these
devices, along with the data they produce, into business systems can help companies
utilize them to their fullest potential.

The automation revolution is likely coming whether individual manufacturers and

other industrial organizations are ready for it. Forecasts show the industrial
robotics market hitting $24.4 billion by 2025.

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