Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Pipeline Surveillance: A Review

Petroleum products being transported through pipelines can be easily targeted by economic and political saboteurs. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) heralds a new technology on pipeline safety, surveillance, surveying mapping, assessment and safety for the oil and gas industry. With the advent of this technology, leaks, corrosion, third party interference and other faults leading to the loss of life, environmental pollution can be checked. This review highlights the state of the technology and benefits of UAV to the Nigeria oil and gas industry. The Nigeria oil and gas industry vested with over 2,300,000 barrels of crude oil daily production has over 9000km pipeline route which is prone to rupture from leaks, corrosion and vandalism. The industry will benefit from a flexible compatible and adaptable UAV platform with a multispectral and hyper spectral sensor for extensive safety, real-time imagery within a localized small to medium spatial scale, over larger expanse of space and time. The technology is adjured cheaper for inspection mission over traditional methods. Adoption of these technology would improve the environmental imprints of the oil and gas companies operating in the Niger Delta, and cases of pipeline vandalism and unrest might be lessened.