Severn Trent has been trialling new drones technology which could help detect leaking pipes from hundreds of miles away.
The company’s flying fleet of machines have been operating since 2017. Thermal-imaging drones detect drops in temperature on land below to spot leaking pipes. Others are used to survey sites like reservoirs and treatment works, saving cash on scaffolding and manpower.
Flying of the drones is currently regulated to ensure pilots must always be ‘within line of site’ – meaning they can only be flown a few hundred metres away at a time.
The Civil Aviation Authority currently regulates the flying of drones. Earlier this year, it outlined plans to relax current restrictions which could see the ban on remote flying lifted by 2027.
Severn Trent has recently carried out a successful trial of new technology, called Drones In a Box. If the new legislation is approved, the trial could eventually see a series of drones set up in docking stations at Severn Trent sites across the region – and flown remotely when needed from hundreds of miles away.
If restrictions are lifted, the new Drones in a Box would be a big boost to Severn Trent’s current fleet of drones which are helping Severn Trent target of reducing leakage by 15% by 2025. The company is also aiming to halve the amount of water lost through its network by 2045.
Severn Trent’s Drone Lead Duncan said:
“Drones in a Box is a really exciting new technology that we have trialled in Nottinghamshire earlier this year.
“The drones would be housed inside a docking station, which opens up to allow them to fly out when operated remotely.
“What Drones in a Box would give us is the capability to rapidly respond to issues or problems from many miles away. This could include helping spot potential leaks with our thermal drones, which is particularly useful in rural areas, plus conducting remote surveys of our sites when needed.
“It could also allow us to fly to the scene of a big burst within minutes to help send back photographs and video, so expert teams at our Coventry headquarters can make quick decisions, including on logistics.”
In the past, trying to identify a leak on kilometres long stretches of rural pipelines 6km may have taken some time for teams on the ground - which can now be reduced to a few hours with the drones.
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