Flying the Mavic inside an empty LPG Gas Tank - is it possible?

[tlswift58]

Yes inspection purposes and tank will be clean and empty.

Yeah something like this is exactly what I have been talking about. I guess the mavic is not the right tool for the job...

A small drone like the Mavic does not do well from I've seen when going into tunnels / etc. Saw where a guy tried to fly his drone (don't remember exact make / model) thru an old Civil War Tunnel in Upstate SC. It's not super long and you can see light at the end of the tunnel, so he thought what the heck. Got into the tunnel and was doing okay as he could still partly see it at his end. As he got further in, he lost GPS - so ATTI mode, the sensors went out due to being pretty dark, and it finally crashed after bouncing around the walls / roof of the tunnel no more than half way in. At that point it was virtual pitch black - so he could not see (VLOS or screen) to control the drone if even possible.

Jobs like the one you have been offered require the "right" tools to do the job correctly and would not even consider Mavic drone even close to the right tool. Really would not consider any drone good for inspecting any kind of large tank - not matter what it is made of. You'd need something more like an x-ray machine to be looking for cracks / etc that I don't think a drone would find unless fitted with some such device - which may exist.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

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[dave canada]

that was educating , those are some large tanks , how do the fill I am used to seeing little tanks filled buy larger mobile units , looks like alot of truck loads to fill one of those

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Your question can simply be answered by saying that you would be using the wrong tool for the job. You will need a drone with a cage and lighting to properly obtain video where cracks can be sufficiently illuminated to make a professional interpretation. Being in this business of vessel inspection, we use the Ethios models that meet our needs and which do not need GPS to operate in a confined space. If you need expert assistance, please feel free to contact me and we can arrange to either perform the inspection or assist you in your camera aided (drone) inspection.

They use them in the mines around here.

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[Kilrah]

Drones made for indoors work that like the Elios or Flybotix Asio use distance sensors so they can accurately position themselves, between walls, hold position next to the subject etc... while the Mavic has some at the bottom and top for some models they don't have them all around like those and they are used more as a limit/stop switch rather than in the control loop to maintain a given distance autonomously etc...

 

[Dennis H]

One would never enter a vessel used for the storage of hydrocarbons without thorough purging and testing that it is: a) fit for breathing and non-toxic and b) completely free of flammable materials.
What are you looking for in your inspection, possibly weld defects in seams at dished ends and other welds? If so can the welds be checked externally by xray or ultrasound?
Getting a bit long in the tooth now and long retired and out of touch with modern non destructive testing techniques so maybe I am missing something. Drones were not even a dream in my day but we managed.

 

[Lets Fly]

I would BE VERY, VERY, VERY WARY of that, if there was the slightest spark, even from static, the drone and everything nearby may end up in orbit.
Besides which would the control signal pass through the tank wall?

He said the tank is clean.

 

[Lets Fly]

I'm guessing it would be some kind of inspection? If not then I ask WHY

He said it's an inspection.

 

[Lets Fly]

I gotta ask; if you can enter the tank why would you need a drone for inspection? Just curious.

My thought exactly.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

He said the tank is clean.

There's clean and then there is fume free, they need not necessarily mean the same thing. At the time I posted it was uncertain what "clean" meant.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

He said it's an inspection.

LOL well thank goodness you cleared that all up. After reading post number #13 I was so confused

 

[PinpointUAVS]

I’ve used my old M2Z inside a feed water tank and a grain silo. I purchased a carbon fibre cage and “hacked” the drone to replace tripod mode with ATTI mode. I had 3 lume cubes mounted to the cage. It worked well for a visual but the images wouldn’t be usable to produce a model due to inconsistency.

While the Elios 2 is the preferred drone for jobs like that, IIRC it isn’t intrinsically safe either. I’m sure the site has a procedure in place for taking the vessel offline and properly venting prior to access. Continuous monitoring with a 4 head monitor would be a must. I’ve never flown inside a hydrocarbon storage vessel, but I’ve erected scaffolding inside them dozens of times.

 

[Lets Fly]

There's clean and then there is fume free, they need not necessarily mean the same thing. At the time I posted it was uncertain what "clean" meant.

Any company owning tanks that size have rules before entering. I have welded inside tanks that were used for flammable materials. The tank is clean after you have sniffed tested for fumes and check for oxygen percentages, and even then welding wearing a Scott Pack due to the welding fumes..

 

[br14nh]

Quite apart from the potential safety and technical issues you would face - including effectively being in a Faraday cage, and confined spaces controls needed (which would specify documented assessment of and controls for all the risks identified), etc there are other considerations.
For such vessels, the owner/operator of the vessel is likely to need some sort of certificate of inspection verifying the integrity of the vessel/cylinder, which is why there are companies set up specifically for those types of inspections who would be accredited to provide certification of the results.
If this is a commercial job and the customer hasn't asked about providing such certification of any results then I would be tempted to stay well clear.

 

[ericole]

I'm guessing it would be some kind of inspection? If not then I ask WHY

from post: "the reason for flight is inspection."

 

[Jagerbomb52]

from post: "the reason for flight is inspection."

Yes we know, if you actually read the whole post it has been mentioned several times but thanks for bringing it up again.

 

[patthronson]

Forensics_Pilot and others are correct; I do potable water tank inspections. Last year I tried to fly my M2Z inside a 4 million gallon steel ground storage tank. As soon as I lifted off the drone began to drift side to side uncontrollably. I landed in a hard slide thanking my lucky stars the drone did not crash or be damaged.

 

[dioscuriII]

Is it possible to fly the mavic without sensors on inside an empty LPG Gas Tank? It's a huge one with over 1000 sqm but I'm most scared of any intereference especially compass since it is made from some type of aluminun along with other materials. Thanks PS tank will be clean and empty and the reason for flight is inspection. I will probably have to positions myself inside the tank

I've flown inside small spaces like ice arenas and homes. How large is it? I would do it with me inside if it's clean of fumes like you indicated.

 

[Pixeldawg]

I used to have to go into hazardous tanks that had all kinds of nasty stuff in them to make photos that could not be accomplished remotely. You should absolutely NOT do this. The drone is electrical and a simple spark can ignite the entire tank. This is really an absolute NO. Also, if you are foolish enough to do this, better have really good insurance, inform the police and fire/rescue and would even contact the local hospitals. I have a significant amount of training in this and even then, would never, ever try a stunt like this. Wow.