Cyberhawk Innovation’s Houston operations have gone from strength to strength since the launch of its Houston base in May this year, having successfully completed two separate projects at refineries across North America.
UAVs, also known as drones, were deemed the most suitable method for conducting both workscopes due to the multitude of benefits on offer including costs savings, time savings and extensive health and safety advantages.
Chris Fleming, CEO at Cyberhawk said: “Refineries are notorious for being dangerous environments to operate in due to safety risks, as a result of working at height and the presence of dangerous chemicals amongst a multitude of other reasons. Using drones mitigates these risks.”
One of the projects required thermal analysis of pipelines located under a major roadway. In similar workscopes the road would typically be closed, causing traffic delays or diversions, with the cost of shutdown and production running into millions of dollars per day. Cyberhawk managed to successfully complete the work without interrupting traffic.
The industry has seen an influx of drone operators around the world, however only a few have the training and operational experience to carry out complex projects in industrial environments. Cyberhawk pilots undertake four levels of rigorous internal training and require years of experience before being mobilised to the company’s most challenging projects, such as onshore petrochemical sites or internal inspection projects.
“Our track record includes a significant amount of work undertaken at refinery and petrochemical sites, such as flare stacks, cooling towers, vents, chimney stacks and piperack inspections as well as survey projects, and demonstrates that we are able to undertake the most complex projects to achieve a successful outcome.
“Completion of both projects represents a step forward in our North American operations and we hope to maximise further opportunities over the coming months, adding to our growing portfolio,” concluded Mr Fleming.
Cyberhawk launched its North American base as part of a continued global growth strategy and to meet the growing demand of its clients in the region. The market remains a key focus for the company and both workscopes boost Cyberhawk’s credentials in the US.
