A Perth company has completed a world-first remote pipeline inspection which it says will revolutionise the way the oil and gas industry approach asset maintenance.
West-Perth based Xplorate successfully completed an inspection of a 550km export pipeline in regional Queensland using its proprietary remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS).
The work was done with a 500-kilometre Beyond Visual Line of Sight approval, the largest ever granted in Australia, and one of the largest globally.
Xplorate founder and chief executive Ronnie Fahy said the successful completion of the project would revolutionise the oil and gas industry.
“For the first time, asset integrity can be approached proactively, meaning asset owners don’t have to wait for things to go wrong then suffer the domino effect of shutdowns, delays and diagnosis before addressing an issue.
“This has an incredible impact on everything from efficiency to financial performance. This is just the beginning.”
Mr Fahy said a key factor which set the company apart from competitors was its proprietary sensor and data intelligence integration.
“(The proprietary technology) enhances the accuracy and reliability of the data collected during inspections,” he said.
“By utilising our custom-designed sensors, we can capture detailed and precise information that is critical for pipeline monitoring and maintenance.”
The company is currently seeking to raise $25 million, a move Mr Fahy said would help them scale globally.
“We’ve got a lot of interest from oil and gas, and energy companies in general, around the world,” he said.
“We currently have four aircraft in Australia, and plan to have 20 in the fleet by the end of next year.
“Then the mission is to grow to have a strong presence in the Middle East, North America and Australia by the end of 2026.”
Mr Fahy, a former helicopter pilot himself, said the company would heavily disrupt his former industry.
“I’m not afraid to say, we will disrupt the helicopter industry like Uber disrupted the taxi industry,” he said.
“There's no need for traditional helicopter unless it’s for transport of personnel.
“One by one, we're going to take them out of the sky - power line inspections, pipeline inspections, search and rescue, all those very high value projects.”
The company current operates via deployable remote operations centres, which sit “within proximity” of the operation.
“But in the not-too-distant future, we will have these guys driving with their coffee in the morning and sitting in office and remotely operate from an office,” he said.
The company currently has several ex-pilots, including one ex-Qantas A380 pilot, who he hopes in the future will become the training staff for future drone pilots.
