Case Study: Revolutionising Oil & Gas Tank Inspections with the Elios 3
Client Background
A leading oil and gas operator manages a network of high-capacity storage tanks, each requiring regular internal inspections to meet compliance, safety, and asset integrity standards.
Traditionally, these inspections involved:
- Costly scaffolding and rope access teams
- Confined space entry permits and standby rescue crews
- Extended shutdowns and operational downtime
- High insurance requirements
The Challenge
Annual tank inspection costs were exceeding $2 million due to:
- Lengthy shutdowns impacting production
- Labour-intensive rope access and scaffolding
- High-risk confined space entry procedures
While there was a clear opportunity to cut costs and improve safety, long-standing contracts with third-party inspection vendors left little room for innovation.
Our Solution: Elios 3 Deployment
Drone Hire Australia introduced a modern, collision-tolerant UAV solution — the Elios 3, equipped with LiDAR scanning and 4K inspection cameras.
This approach delivered a non-invasive, high-precision inspection without the need for human entry.
Key Benefits Delivered:
✅ No confined space entry: All work completed with zero personnel inside the tank.
✅ Faster results: Full inspection and reporting within 24–48 hours.
✅ Significant savings: Potential cost reduction of 50%, equating to $1M annual savings across the network.
✅ Improved safety & compliance: LiDAR-based digital twins, 3D models, and defect tagging for enhanced reporting.
The Roadblocks
Despite technical success and strong ROI projections, adoption faced challenges:
- Legacy Contracts: Multi-year agreements with traditional providers restricted immediate change.
- Policy Lag: Risk and compliance teams needed updated SOPs to approve drone inspections.
- Change Resistance: Established vendor relationships slowed procurement approval.
Outcome
The pilot project was fully validated by asset managers and HSE officers. Internal reports recommended phased adoption as existing contracts expire and digital workflows become standard.
Next Steps
Drone Hire Australia is now working with the client to:
- Integrate drone inspections into future scopes of work
- Support safety and risk teams with documentation and training
- Provide long-term ROI analysis and comparative inspection models
Impact Summary: The Elios 3 has proven to halve inspection costs, eliminate confined space entry, and deliver faster, safer, and more accurate results — setting a new standard for oil and gas asset inspections.
