A high-tech drone equipped with a digital photo and video camera and a thermal imager is adapted to operate in a difficult climate and can work in an autonomous mode to monitor the general situation, assess the environmental conditions and identify infrastructure and pipeline operation disturbances in remote field areas.
TNK-BP expects its drones to start monitoring Samotlorskoe field on a round-the-clock basis as early as in two years. This can be achieved using six machines flying over the facilities at least four times a day.
'The global market currently has neither specialists nor similar software for the aircraft serving such purposes',-said Sergey Zakharov, Chief Process Engineer, Pipeline Operation and Repair Base, TNK-Nizhnevartovsk.
'Our preliminary tests confirmed high technology capabilities of the drones', he emphasized. - As soon as the Korolyov designers modify and retrofit the drones considering our comments and wishes, we will conduct the next stage of the tests'.