The Oil Refining Industry's 'Drone Utilization Stories'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] The refining industry, which is experiencing a decline in performance, has started cost-cutting measures using drones. There is growing anticipation that the pace of digital transformation will accelerate as the downturn deepens.

According to industry sources on the 17th, SK Energy recently introduced drone inspection techniques for crude oil storage tank inspections.

SK Energy conducts inspections of crude oil storage tanks at its core production site, Ulsan Complex (Ulsan CLX), using drones instead of personnel. The crude oil storage tanks are 86 meters tall, roughly the size of Jangchung Gymnasium.

The company explained, "Due to the sensitive nature of petroleum storage tanks, which react to even minor shocks, drone inspections had not been implemented until now," adding, "Our 'Smart Plant' project has yielded results that resolved this issue."

There are 34 crude oil storage tanks at SK Energy’s Ulsan CLX. The total storage capacity is 20 million barrels, which can store more than eight times South Korea’s crude oil consumption (2.4 million barrels).

For safety, crude oil storage tanks are regularly inspected. Due to changes in related regulations, from this year, in addition to the regular inspection every 11 years, a separate intermediate inspection has been introduced. As a result, the actual inspection cycle has been shortened to 5 to 6 years.

Previously, 3 to 4 of the 34 crude oil storage tanks were inspected annually, but starting this year, the number has increased to 6 to 8 tanks.

Inspections of crude oil storage tanks require significant time and cost, and since the massive tanks were visually checked by personnel, there were risks and limitations to the inspections.

SK Energy prepared over the past year to improve the inspection method for crude oil storage tanks in anticipation of the introduction of the intermediate inspection system.

The biggest concern was that drones could crash due to oil vapor, potentially causing explosions, but the company stated that thorough safety systems were established through various drone-related tests.

SK Energy said, "By introducing drone inspections, the accuracy of inspections will improve, and safety will be ensured compared to manual inspections," adding, "Since temporary scaffolding that used to cover the entire tank is no longer needed, we can achieve the three benefits of saving time, reducing costs, and enhancing safety."

SK Energy expects that inspection costs for 30 crude oil storage tanks scheduled for inspection by 2021 will drastically decrease from the existing 900 million KRW to about 50 million KRW with the introduction of drone inspections.

Another case of drone utilization is the delivery of fuel samples. GS Caltex’s Incheon Logistics Center plans to replace the transport of fuel samples by small vessels?used to verify products before unloading fuel from tankers docked at the pier?with drone delivery.

The company explained that the idea for drone delivery originated from the difficulties faced by on-site staff at the Incheon Logistics Center and was adopted through an internal contest.

The employee conceived the idea of drone delivery for fuel samples based on experiences with excellent drone cases in the U.S. and China through an internal experience program, utilizing the drone traffic and logistics delivery systems of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

A private demonstration using the K-Drone system was also conducted. GS Caltex emphasized that this first case proves the transition from the research and development phase to the early commercialization stage.

Additionally, the drones, transport containers, and navigation devices showcased in the demonstration were developed through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s drone delivery system, part of the delivery drone demonstration R&D project launched last year.

GS Caltex plans to commercialize the system within this year and is also considering expanding it to logistics centers nationwide.

A GS Caltex official said, "We expect this to be a good example for domestic companies to enhance management efficiency through drones in production and operation processes," adding, "We will start commercialization soon and strive to enable its use in various fields."

Since 2015, GS Caltex has also been using drones at its Yeosu plant to inspect corrosion and cracks on equipment tops that are difficult for personnel to access, and it plans to explore using GS Caltex’s network of gas stations as drone delivery takeoff and landing sites.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.