State of Technology: Cleaning and Coating UAV Systems - Industrial Spray Painting Drones

Abstract Cleaning, applying and testing coatings on corrosion-susceptible surfaces, such as those in Oil & Gas and extreme environments such as offshore Oil & Gas assets, currently requires extensive manual labor. Further, cleaning, coating and measuring coatings at height can create a dangerous occupational environment. Drones, also known as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV) can be leveraged to perform some of these tasks, including cleaning, coating, and inspection while keeping workers safely on the ground. Of note are some current aerial robotic inspection platforms in the market that make physical contact with structures for nondestructive testing (NDT) in addition to visual inspection. Drone capabilities have significantly evolved over the past decade, and it is expected that the ubiquity of such systems will continue to increase in the years to come. While no coating or cleaning drone is commercially available at the time of this publication, one company has an existing prototype currently under development as part of a Joint Development Agreement with a large international coatings manufacturer for industrial application that is expected to be tested in industrial environments this year. This prototype is a custom-manufactured drone with a tether to the aircraft from the ground that delivers power and cleaning or coating material. An on-board computer manages flight navigation along with intelligent spraying. While the utilization of this new technology faces many challenges, it is important to recognize the potential and projected growth in use of such systems. An introduction to the current state of coating and cleaning drones will be discussed, along with limitations and benefits the system can provide to the coatings and corrosion control in the Oil & Gas industry.