I don’t think I need to explain the problem of oil leaks from pipelines, but fewer people know about the problem of methane (also called “natural gas”) leaks. Loose methane in the atmosphere is not only bad for humans and animals that breathe it in, but it is also a much more potent greenhouse gas compared to CO2. So it’s vital that we keep that stuff in the pipes or in the ground.
While the ideal answer would be to just stop drilling and put it in pipes that could be leaking, we’re not there yet and we won’t be there anytime soon. The crucial task for climate change and human health right now is to replace dirty coal power with renewable energy sources, which gives us the most environmental gain for our money. Then we can focus on the next worst thing (heating oil), and then the second worst thing, which is the gas. If we cut off gas now, people would be without electricity and heat in their homes, or we would have to replace that energy with coal, which is a step in the wrong direction.
So as we work towards the goal of replacing methane energy with renewables, we need to minimize the damage. Ondas Networks and American Robotics have a neat solution for that.
They recently announced that they now have new capabilities for their autonomous Scout System drone that will allow current and future oil and gas customers to automate visual inspection of oil and gas facilities and assets. With their new sensors, oil and gas companies can detect and fix leaks much faster before emitting too much methane. Perhaps more importantly, their sensors allow drone operators to spot signs of problems that could lead to leaks and prevent leaks altogether.
“The addition of these new features to the Scout system increases American Robotics’ competitive position within the autonomous drone-in-a-box (DIB) market,” said Reese Mozer, co-founder and CEO of American Robotics. “Our oil and gas customers have worked closely with us to identify new features that can transform their operations, reduce costs and increase safety by automating inspections, eliminating the need for human operators to be on site. This exciting advancement is an example of how American Robotics continues to expand its market-leading presence in the oil and gas sector.”
American Robotics’ automated FAA-approved Scout system, which includes purpose-built capabilities for the oil and gas sector, enables oil and gas customers to perform frequent inspections of assets such as pump jacks, boilers, tanks, flares, pipes, pumps, and electrical infrastructure, while also increasing profitability by lowering operating costs.
Automated inspections using advanced imaging and artificial intelligence to identify critical infrastructure issues will help protect the environment while accelerating the digitization of physical assets through the use of imaging and AI.
There are nearly 900,000 oil and gas wells in the United States and more than 500,000 miles of pipeline that must be checked regularly. According to American Robotics, the drone-in-a-box (DIB) market in the oil and gas sector is worth $22 billion worldwide. Today’s news has further demonstrated American Robotics’ leadership in this burgeoning market. American Robotics’ advantage of autonomous capabilities and market expansion will allow it to expand its sales. The company’s competitive advantage in the commercial drone sector can be increased by combining oil and gas-specific skills with its FAA approval for fully automated out-of-field operations.
American Robotics will begin selling the high-resolution RGB camera and high-resolution thermal camera to customers through the Scout system in Q3 2022. read more about the system here.
Probably the best thing about this system is that it doesn’t require any fossil fuels to run. This is all possible with clean electricity.
Featured image provided by Ondas Holdings/American Robotics.
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