Apellix™, a company protecting the world’s built and industrial environments through technology, announced that it is launching APELLIX NDT, a non-destructive testing field services company. Apellix NDT will operate using the Apellix Opus X4 NDT systems.
Through its field services company, Apellix is now conducting projects focusing on ultrasonic (UT) inspections of above-ground storage tanks and vessels. UT is a volumetric method that uses sound waves emitted into material to measure, for example, wall thickness. American Petroleum Institute (API 653) and other standards commonly require these inspections on a five-year basis.
Using computer-controlled drones with precision flight, Apellix performs UT measurements on tanks as high as 60 meters. The system can measure up to 100 locations per hour, reporting real-time results to the engineer who is safely on the ground.
A typical inspection of a tank includes visual inspection, a surface inspection, and a volumetric inspection, all three of which are completed with the Opus X4 NDT system cheaper, faster, and safer than the current method of placing workers at height via lifts, scaffolding, or rope work. In addition to the UT and other data, high-definition video and images are provided for post-flight analysis with artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, and other non-destructive examination 4.0 techniques and tools. Data is stored onboard the aircraft, streamed live to the systems operators and corrosion engineers, provided to maintenance service software systems for native import, and placed in the secure Apellix Flightlog cloud data repository (currently in beta).
Bob Dahlstrom, Apellix founder and CEO said, “Starting a non-destructive testing company enables us to leverage the Apellix NDT platform that can provide a 20-fold or higher productivity enhancement, allow work on in-service assets, and help keep workers safe all while providing a breadth and depth of data never before available. Conducting NDT jobs in the world also enables us to stay close to our customers and learn what additional features create the most value for them.”
Apellix, based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A., has developed an aerial robotic platform with patented software and sensor arrays that control precision flight to complete a wide range of tasks currently too expensive or too dangerous to otherwise perform. In addition to contact-based measurements, Apellix systems spray paint protective coatings, complete surface prep, and more.
Video examples of Apellix systems at work can be viewed at www.apellix.com or on the Apellix YouTube Channel.
