Russia Develops Remote Inspection System for Major Pipelines
The system can operate even in areas with no cellular-network coverage.
Researchers at the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, working together with specialists from industry enterprises, have developed Russia’s first remote data-collection system for oil and gas pipelines using unmanned aerial vehicles. Its defining feature is the ability to operate even in areas with no cellular connectivity at all, which is especially important for remote parts of Siberia and the Russian Far East.
The technology integrates existing monitoring infrastructure with drone-based systems. Devices installed at control and measurement points along pipeline routes collect data from sensors and transmit it to passing drones via Bluetooth. Communication with each checkpoint takes no more than five seconds.
The first field tests were completed successfully using a Geoscan-401 quadcopter. The system relies on commercially available Russian-made equipment, including PKM-TST corrosion-monitoring subsystems. In the future, the platform is expected to be expanded with laser scanning, photo cameras, and gas-leak sensors.
