Drone pipeline inspection for Alberta oil and gas
APS Drone Services flies drone right-of-way patrols for oil and gas producers who want their highest-risk segments watched often. The company is based in Calgary and covers operating pipe in Alberta, with the same service available in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
Integrity and HSE teams use these flights as ROW patrol: a planned look at the corridor for signs of a leak, digging or construction by others, encroachment, erosion, exposed pipe, and conditions at road and water crossings. CSA Z662 lists these among the things a right-of-way patrol must watch for.
What a drone ROW patrol covers
We focus on operating segments that are expensive to miss: pipe over 30 years old, steel with no internal coating, and segments that cross a water body. Those segments can be flown on a standing schedule set to match your Integrity Management Program.
- Frequent patrols on the highest-risk parts of your inventory
- Video reviewed as soon as each flight lands, with an immediate alert if leak signs appear
- All footage, screenshots and a map confirming which sections were flown
- On call 24/7 to fly a suspected leak as soon as daylight, weather and airspace allow
- Often less expensive than a helicopter or fixed-wing patrol for short segments flown frequently
How patrols fit your integrity program
Alberta’s Pipeline Rules no longer set a fixed patrol interval. Each licensee sets its own under CSA Z662 and its Integrity Management Program, and a drone patrol can be the right-of-way inspection method that program specifies. It does not replace corrosion control, cathodic protection, in-line inspection or engineering assessments. Read what Alberta requires for right-of-way inspection.
If you are not sure which company assets deserve the first flights, use the Alberta pipeline risk assessment tool. It screens public AER licence data for age, internally uncoated steel and water crossings.
Need a quote for aerial pipeline inspection? Describe the assets and area and we will follow up.