Welcome to Segment 4 on How to Utilize UT Aerial Robotic Measurement Systems in Your Organization. Replacing a current data collection method with a new safer and faster method that has the ability to collect more data can make a lot of sense to your organization. In this, our final segment of the series, we review the value creation that the Apellix Opus X4 UT systems can unlock, how it can benefit your company, and what may be in store for the future of this exciting technology.

Introduction

Apellix Opus X4 UT system provides asset owners and service providers with increased data collection, safety, and economic value creation. Data collected can be used as part of a Nondestructive Examination (NDE 4.0) strategy or used alone to replace manually gathered UT thickness measurements. The large volumes of data provided by the Apellix systems is a force multiplier for inspecting, testing, and evaluating industrial assets for their safety, operational effectiveness, and efficacy. The knowledge, insights, and understandings translated from the data collected by the aerial robotic system can be turned into actionable information to enhance and extend knowledge-based information-driven decisions. At the same time, the Apellix Opus X4 system will improve safety and reduce costs. The resultant value creation for the UT measurements especially if used as part of NDE 4.0 can be very compelling.

UT Measurements and NDE 4.0

    Utilizing the UT measurements as part of an NDE 4.0 strategy allows a company to capitalize and extrapolate further information from the data and other details gathered by industrial inspection robotics such that 2 + 2 equals more than four. As we move through the fourth industrial revolution in industry: the computerization, digitization, and networking of industrial assets, NDE 4.0 will be crucial to the success of this revolution as it provides data that is required for machine learning, artificial intelligence implementations, and more.

     Using the Opus X4 UT system enables an increased number of inspections as the individual inspections can be done faster and measurements can be taken in a higher number of inspection locations compared to a manual inspector. This ability will accelerate the development of new standards and inspection requirements that will become more formalized as part of corrosion monitoring and other industrial and infrastructure inspection regimens as the benefits accrue to their users.

     As shown in Segment 3, It’s All About the Data – Gathering, Reporting and Storing Data and more, the Opus X4 UT system can take hundreds of measurements at hundreds of Condition Monitoring Locations (CMLs) in a short time period (104 in under 90 min). The example also highlighted that assets, such as the flare stack, can be left in service while the contact-based UT measurements at elevation are collected.

Image 1 - An Example of the Apellx Opus X4 UT System [1]

Real-World Example

     The real-world example from Segment 3, “It’s all about the data”, highlights the use of the Apellix Opus X4 UT system for an in-service flare stack at an oil & gas company gas separation facility to measure wall thickness. The stack had 20-foot (6m) flames shooting out of the top of the flare while the team was safely on the ground operating the system. Controlling a waste stream of VOCs requires large capital investments as well as operating costs. Fully burdened operating costs, both direct and indirect, can be substantial, including property tax, insurance, capital recovery, etc.

     However, an industrial inspection robot such as the Opus X4 UT system is not always the ideal solution. In many situations, the existing inspection regimes are done relatively inexpensively, safely, and provide the requisite data and information for good operation and give sufficient knowledge of the current and projected future state of the asset. Robots can require a relatively high upfront investment [2] and although on a per inspection cost basis the robotic inspections may cost less, purchasing robotic inspection systems requires an upfront investment, even if it is the financial commitment to lease rather than purchase.

     The Apellix Opus X series of industrial aerial robotic systems is available as a lease rather than a purchase. This relieves an organization of high upfront investment and allows for one lease price that includes the robotic system as well as its maintenance, support, and updates. This helps to reassure a customer that the technology they are using will not become obsolete or inoperable in the future.

Benefits of the Opus X4 UT System

     One recent report detailed five areas where industrial robotic inspections, such as those performed by the Apellix systems. The areas are; safety, time, analytics, access, and cost. [3] These areas will create value for customers and are compelling reasons to invest in and scale rapidly.

The Opus X4 UT system can safely go to many places people can’t reach without equipment for elevated access. They can fly to the top of high structures, and move in hot, dirty environments where people may not want to go. Just by their presence, they can make inspections more thorough and simpler to perform. They help improve safety by removing humans from hazardous environments. Removing safety risks by engineering them “out and away” from the Jobsite is an elegant solution. That is part of why organizations should implement industrial robotic inspection systems as soon as possible.

Image 2 – A photo of the Apellix Opus X4 UT system [4].

     The systems can help reduce the time it takes to conduct UT measurements and inspections. These systems can decrease the number of workers involved in the process and reduce the number of man-hours. The Opus X4 UT systems can also reduce the number of changeovers and downtime required to conduct UT inspections. These transitions and instances wherein assets are removed from service for an interval to perform the inspection without a replacement can be costly in both time and money.

     The Opus X4 UT systems enable data collection on a scale and scope heretofore unimaginable feeding the hungry NDE 4.0 paradigm for analytics and other computational and informational purposes. Improving analytics allows organizations to create a digital alignment to the physical space and related processes. The system is also able to capture information in real-time and accelerate the process of conducting analysis.[5] As Vrana concludes in his book NDE 4.0: The Fourth Revolution in Nondestructive Evaluation: Digital Twin, “NDE 4.0 is the chance for NDE to move from the niche of the ‘unnecessary cost factor’ to one of the most valuable data providers for Industry 4.0. For those innovative companies that recognize the signs of the times, NDE 4.0 is also the way to market the data as part of a completely new business model for their industry.[6]

     Furthermore, the Apellix systems can help remove human bias and potentially improve data management and organization. Data from inspections can be automatically inputted directly into business systems, eliminating the need for a human worker to record data and transfer it from place to place via calls to the Apellix onboard Application Programming Interface (API). This is currently being done with the AkzoNobel Interplan system, a fully integrated, flexible coating survey and maintenance service package that helps to reduce maintenance costs and extend the life cycle of industrial assets. Learn more about the AkzoNobel Interplan system at https://www.international-pc.com/in-focus/maintenance-ras. Communicating data directly from a robotic system to a centralized secure data repository affords better control of that data helping reduce or eliminate human factors leading to a more reliable inspection system. This results in a more consistent probability of detection (POD) from inspection to inspection. [7]

     The Opus X4 UT systems can afford access to difficult-to-reach areas by having a smaller and nimbler footprint than that of traditional access equipment such as scaffolding or lifts. Getting elevated work platforms to a physical location, setting them up, and using them safely is both expensive and time-consuming. Physical impediments, barriers, soil conditions, and more may prohibit the driving of a wheeled lift or tractor or tire wheeled crane to the area of concern. The Opus X4 UT system is more mobile and occupies a far less heavy and expansive space footprint than a traditional system. As assets are not always box-shaped simple structures, it that may be difficult to scaffold or position a lift for such a structure. One of the great things about the Opus X4 Series aerial systems is that they can adapt and easily conform to non-linear assets.

     Finally, reducing cost is essential as industrial inspections can be very expensive. The smallest cost saving with the Apellix Opus X series of systems is from reducing the number of people required for an inspection. In the majority of cases, inspectors are not replaced, instead, the robots are used as a tool to free the inspector from the dirty, dull, and dangerous tasks of collecting the inspection data. This also allows inspectors to spend more time on the higher value components of operational and maintenance assessments and management. A much larger cost-saving is from mitigating the cost of the safety equipment required for inspections with workers. A rule of thumb in the industry for elevated inspections is an average of 60% of the costs are placing workers at height. In 2020 it cost $1,000 to $1,500 per week to rent a standard 30-foot (9m) capacity lift (aka mobile elevated work platform), plus delivery and pick up fee, taxes, and insurance. Larger models such as those that extend 100 feet (30m) or more are significantly more expensive[8]. When factoring in the resources and time necessary for manual UT measurement at height, the Opus X4 UT system is easier and quicker to use. This can result in more frequent UT measurements and visual inspections, enhanced preventative and predictive maintenance activities, and reduced costs associated with performing repairs on equipment.

Infographic with misc. information on the Apellix Opus X4 UT system [9]

Your Organization is Ready to Benefit From Faster, Safer UT Measurements

     Planned preventative maintenance has long been practiced as a strategy for keeping industrial assets operating safely and efficiently.  Planning, scheduling, and implementing maintenance programs often rely on historical practices and learnings from past events. This has led to the development of industry standards to help asset owners maintain the integrity and fabric of their facilities and to ensure that they remain operationally safe and effective, for their entire life cycle. The standards that guide asset owners are often based on best management practices currently in use. Game-changing, revolutionary and transformative technology such as the Apellix Opus X4 UT aerial robotic system allows customers to take a fresh look at the opportunity for conducting measurement and data gathering operations that help re-define a planned maintenance regime.

     Another consideration is how to deal with all the data that the Opus X4 UT system collects. This is a fantastic opportunity to add to or create a digital record of your assets. Investment in a powerful data collection system via the Opus X4 UT is fairly simple and can be easily made purely on a financial footing. Utilizing the Opus X4 UT system makes redundant other visual or data inspections as it collects UT thickness measurement data as well as HD video that can be used for visual inspection. The benefits have been clearly shown for early adopters of this technology and companies that want to move to the next level with this technological advantage.

   Using the UT measurement thickness data and the visual inspection data from the Opus X4 UT system can enable your organization to start taking advantage of digitation benefits. NDE 4.0 is a force multiplier for inspecting, testing, and evaluating industrial assets for their safety, operational effectiveness, and efficacy. Data gathered from the Opus X4 UT system can generate knowledge, insights, and understandings and provide the opportunity to turn data gathered into actionable information to enhance and extend your companies knowledge-based information-driven decision-making.

     What is measured is known and we can make predictions based on these measurements. In addition to this, we have research data if something such as a coatings failure occurs. The Opus X4 UT enables your company to improve the UT measurement process and gather data that didn’t exist before, thus adding to your body of knowledge. The Apellix Opus X4 UT aerial robotic system can bring massive efficiencies to the job, including a fully auditable data record and information for Digital Implementation Plans to allow companies to focus on the overall picture and to plan and budget accordingly.

Conclusion

     Thank you for reading this segment. In segment 1 we examined the use of aerial robotic systems for contact-based UT measurements. In segment 2 we looked at how and when this new aerial robotic measurement technology should be used, as well as its benefits and constraints. In segment 3 we focused on the collection, storage, reporting, and management of the UT Measurement Data gathered from the Apellix Opus X4 UT aerial robotic systems.

     The Apellix Opus X4 UT systems improve efficiency due to reduced inspection time and increase efficacy by faster reporting and decision-making which adds huge value and creates even more value when coupled with NDE 4.0 processes. Further, they help achieve substantial cost savings, particularly when they prevent an asset from being taken out of service or enabling the asset to be returned to service in a faster timeframe. And finally, they are an elegant safety solution moving workers from harm’s way and potentially saving lives. The Apellix Opus X4 systems increase safety, decrease inspection time, improve analytics, remove access barriers and problems, and can substantially reduce costs.

     As we move towards a more automated future and robotic inspection tools like the Opus X4 UT system become more advanced, affordable, and utilized we will continue to see improvements in their value creation. As this trend continues, we can expect to see more companies using automated robotic inspection systems as well as the creation of new automation tools which free human inspectors from the dirty, dull, and dangerous tasks of collecting inspection data and enabling them to spend more time on the higher value components of industrial assets operation and maintenance. Why not make your company one of those that benefit?

References

[1] Image Courtesy of Apellix, copyright 2020

[2] Guide to Inspection Robots Used in Industrial Sectors https://gesrepair.com/guide-inspection-robots-used-industrial-sectors/

[3] 5 Reasons To Consider Robots for Industrial Inspections, John Santagate 10/30/18 | Industrial Robotics, Factory Automation | Service Robots - Robotics Tomorrow https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/article/2018/10/5-reasons-to-consider-robots-for-industrial-inspections/12729/

[4] Image Courtesy of Apellix, copyright 2020

[5] Infographic courtesy of Apellix, copyright 2020

[6] NDE 4.0: The Fourth Revolution in NonDestructive Evaluation: Digital Twin…Johannes VRANA 1 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2004.05193.pdf

[7] Purpose and Pursuit of NDE 4.0 https://www.inspiringnext.com/purpose-and-pursuit-of-nde-4-0/

[8] How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Cherry Picker https://costfigures.com/cherry-picker-rental-cost/

[9] Image Courtesy of AkzoNobel and Apellix, copyright 2020Image Courtesy of Apellix, copyright 2020

The materials and the views expressed in this document are solely those of the author(s)
and are cleared for public release

Sign up to receive e-mails about new posts

Return to the Blog