Acuren Acquires Premium Inspection & Testing Group - Press Release Quarter Million Saved Using Novel Combination Of Rope Access & Drone Technology For Internal Coke Drum Inspection DOWNLOAD PDF Premium Inspection & Testing completed an internal coke drum inspection at a refinery using an innovative combination of drones and rope access, saving $250,000 on scaffolding and labor. This is the first time rope access was successfully utilized in conjunction with drones for a coke drum inspection. External view of coke drum. CUSTOMER NEEDS A Texas refinery had a scheduled inspection of a high value coke drum coming up and they were looking for third-party inspectors that could do the job. But the refinery had one requirement, which was making it hard for them to find someone: they did not want to use scaffolding. The refinery’s reasoning was simple. Scaffolding is expensive, both in terms of materials and labor, and the time needed to construct and deconstruct it can create costly delays for an asset’s downtime. The refinery asked several contractors if they might be able to use rope access instead of scaffolding to inspect the inside of the coker, but none had experience with this inspection method. Some offered to give rope access a try, but the refinery did not want to have someone experimenting with a new inspection method while the turnaround clock was ticking. Management at the refinery was close to giving up and using scaffolding when they found Premium Inspection & Testing. Premium has years of experience performing inspections via rope access, having clocked a total of 1.2 million safe hours on ropes with zero accidents, and quickly agreed to do the job without building scaffolding. SOLUTION Using a novel combination of drone and rope access, Premium was able to safely perform the coker inspection for the refinery without the use of any scaffolding. Drone inspection data examples Here is the workflow Premium followed during the coke drum inspection: Step 1: Pre-assessment of coker by drone. Before entering the coker, Premium used a drone to make sure the coke drum was clean so the rope access crew could safely enter it. During these flights, the drone also collected visual data that was then processed by automated crack detection algorithms. This visual data was then used to help the rope access team focus its efforts once it entered the coke drum. Step 2: Preparation for rope access. After the drum was determined to be clean and safe for entry, the ropes crew prepared for its inspection by rigging a beam system above the top of the coker and a truss support system inside the head of the drum. Ropes were anchored onto the beam and truss, and inspectors used the truss to place the ropes outside of the center of the coke drum so they could access its walls. Step 3: Multiple-sensor inspection conducted via rope access. The rope crew began its inspection by focusing on possible defects identified in the visual data initially collected by drone. In each of these locations, inspectors performed a series of tests to inspect the inside of the drum, which followed this order: First, inspectors used creaform 3D scanning to determine the extent of the surface corrosion and pitting Second, inspectors used phased array testing to test the integrity of the weld seams Third, inspectors performed PT (i.e., liquid penetrant) testing to inspects for defects in the shell and seams Rope access crew inside the coker As Premium inspectors collected data by drone and later by rope access they relayed it to the refinery’s maintenance team in real time. Members of the maintenance team then responded, guiding the inspectors on where to focus their efforts so they could learn more about possible defects and what actions might be needed in order to address them. Inspections coverage: scaffolding vs. rope & ground access RESULTS Premium’s hybrid drone/rope access approach to the coker inspection ultimately saved the refinery $250,000. These savings were realized simply by avoiding the materials and labor that would have been required for scaffolding. Estimated rope access inspections savings An additional benefit to the drone/rope access approach for the coke drum inspection was that it cut the time needed for the inspection in half, from 30 days to just 7 days, helping the refinery realize even more savings by shortening its downtime for the coker. This was the first time this hybrid approach had ever been taken for a coke drum inspection—but given the impressive results, it will certainly not be the last. PREMIUM INSPECTION & TESTING GROUP—HEADQUARTERS 8225 Florida Boulevard | Baton Rouge, LA 70806 | (225) 357-3671 REQUEST A QUOTE HomeCareers Who We AreCertificationsLocationsResourcesSafetyPrivacy Policy