Where the manual approach breaks down
- An insulation survey means scaffolding, gas testing and a permit per bay.
- A suspected leak is confirmed by someone walking up to it.
- Crews enter a burning block without a thermal picture of it.
- Night patrols see nothing until the site is floodlit.
How the unmanned workflow runs
Look over the tank farm from the air
A hybrid VTOL flies a holding pattern outside the fence and maps surface temperature across the roof and shell of each tank.
Measure, do not just see
A triple-light pod puts a thermal image, a zoomed daylight view and a laser range on the same hot spot, so the report can say where and how far.
Send a vehicle into the block
Where piping, bund walls and low headroom rule out flying, a tracked reconnaissance unit goes in and carries the same thermal view out.
Keep one picture for the supervisor
Both feed one handheld ground station, so the person deciding on entry sees the same frame the crew sees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the aircraft fly over live process equipment?
It flies a planned pattern outside the fence line and images inwards. Whether any overflight of operating plant is permitted is a site decision made against your own rules, not something the equipment answers.
What does the third sensor add?
The rangefinder fixes where the hot spot is and how far it is, so a thermal anomaly becomes a location in a report instead of a shape on a screen.
Can the ground unit work where the aircraft cannot?
Yes. Where piping, bund walls and low headroom rule out flying, the tracked unit carries the same thermal view in and back out.