ULC Aerial Services Team Conducts UAV Demonstration Flights for Pennsylvania Gas Utility
Gas transmission pipelines can run through almost any type of terrain. While some terrain is fairly easy to navigate, the process for inspecting pipelines in difficult to access areas is time-consuming, costly and can pose a safety threat to utility workers.
ULC’s Aerial Services team recently visited a Pennsylvania gas utility to conduct a series of unmanned aerial inspection flights to visually inspect gas pipelines located in hard-to-access areas and demonstrate the capabilities of the company’s H1000 Hexacopter UAV.
The customer identified four gas pipeline right-of-ways (ROWs) that needed to be inspected with two primary concerns. First, the pipelines which are located on the side of a mountain range and one at a river crossing needed to be visually assessed for vegetation management and encroachment. Secondly, the utility was concerned with the safety aspect of inspections for utility personnel.