Aerial Thermography Survey of Heat Exchangers at Stanlow Refinery Using Radiometric Drone Technology

Industrial heat exchangers are among the most critical assets within oil refineries, petrochemical facilities, and heavy process industries. Their ability to efficiently transfer heat between process streams is fundamental to maintaining stable operating temperatures, optimising energy efficiency, and protecting downstream equipment from thermal imbalance.

DJM Aerial Solutions recently completed a large scale aerial thermography inspection of multiple heat exchangers within the Stanlow refinery complex in collaboration with our strategic business partners, CTP Environment. Using a combination of radiometric thermal drone technology and specialist industrial inspection experience, the survey was conducted to identify abnormal thermal signatures, potential process inefficiencies, and early indicators of mechanical or operational deterioration.

The inspection allowed engineers to assess the condition and thermal behaviour of multiple heat exchange systems safely and efficiently while the plant remained operational.

The Importance of Heat Exchanger Performance in Refinery Operations

Heat exchangers form a critical part of refinery and petrochemical infrastructure. They are used throughout the process environment to transfer heat between fluids while maintaining separation between process streams.

Within refining operations, heat exchangers are commonly responsible for:

Cooling hydrocarbon streams
Condensing vapours
Recovering process heat
Maintaining stable operating temperatures
Supporting energy efficiency throughout the facility

If a heat exchanger begins to underperform, the consequences can impact the wider process significantly.

Potential operational issues associated with deteriorating heat exchanger performance include:

Reduced thermal transfer efficiency
Increased energy consumption
Elevated operating temperatures
Restricted process throughput
Undetected leaks or fouling
Equipment overstressing
Premature component failure
Unplanned downtime events

In severe cases, thermal imbalance within process systems can result in major operational inefficiencies or emergency shutdown scenarios.

Routine thermal inspection is therefore a critical component of refinery asset integrity and preventative maintenance programmes.

Why Aerial Thermography Is Highly Effective for Heat Exchanger Assessment

Traditional inspection of heat exchangers often requires engineers to access elevated pipework structures, congested process areas, and difficult to reach infrastructure.

This may involve:

Scaffold erection
Rope access teams
Working at height permits
Restricted access zones
Shutdown or isolation requirements

Within operational refinery environments, these methods can be expensive, time consuming, and disruptive to operations.

Radiometric drone technology provides a safer and more efficient alternative.

By deploying aerial thermal inspection systems, engineers can rapidly assess multiple assets from safe stand off distances while maintaining plant operations.

The drones utilised during the Stanlow inspection were equipped with radiometric thermal cameras capable of recording temperature data across every individual pixel within the thermal image. This allows engineers to conduct detailed post processing analysis and identify abnormal thermal patterns across the inspected assets.

What Is a Radiometric Thermal Survey?

Unlike standard thermal imaging systems that only display relative heat patterns, radiometric thermal cameras record actual temperature values within the captured image data.

This provides several advantages:

Accurate thermal trend analysis
Quantifiable temperature differentials
Detailed reporting capability
Post processing thermal analysis
Improved anomaly detection

Using specialist thermal analysis software, inspection teams can interrogate individual areas of the heat exchanger system to identify hotspots, cold spots, or abnormal heat distribution patterns that may indicate developing issues.

Inspection Scope at Stanlow Refinery

The thermal inspection programme focused on assessing the operational condition and thermal behaviour of multiple heat exchangers located throughout the refinery process area.

Inspection objectives included:

Identification of abnormal thermal signatures
Detection of potential process inefficiencies
Assessment of heat transfer consistency
Identification of possible fouling or restriction
Detection of localised hotspots or cold spots
Supporting preventative maintenance planning

The inspection was completed while the refinery remained operational, allowing engineers to assess the equipment under live process conditions where thermal anomalies are most visible.

This operational approach provides significantly greater value than inspecting equipment during shutdown conditions where thermal behaviour cannot be accurately evaluated.

Supporting Preventative Maintenance Strategies

One of the greatest advantages of aerial thermography is its ability to support predictive and preventative maintenance programmes.

Rather than waiting for equipment to fail or performance to deteriorate significantly, thermal inspection allows engineers to identify developing issues early.

Examples of anomalies commonly identified during refinery thermography inspections include:

Blocked or restricted flow paths
Heat transfer inefficiencies
Product leakage
Insulation breakdown
Uneven thermal distribution
Internal fouling
Mechanical deterioration

By identifying these conditions early, engineering teams can prioritise intervention during planned maintenance periods rather than reacting to unexpected process failures.

Operational and Safety Benefits of Drone Based Thermal Inspection

The use of drone based thermography offers substantial safety and operational advantages within refinery environments.

Reduced Working at Height Exposure

Thermal drones eliminate the requirement for engineers to access elevated structures manually.

Rapid Inspection Deployment

Large process areas containing multiple heat exchangers can be inspected quickly without extensive access preparation.

Minimal Operational Disruption

Thermal inspections can often be conducted while systems remain online, reducing downtime and production losses.

Improved Data Collection

Radiometric thermal data allows engineers to conduct detailed analysis both during and after the inspection.

Increased Asset Visibility

Drone inspection allows thermal assessment of infrastructure that may otherwise be inaccessible using conventional methods.

The Importance of Regular Thermal Inspection in Refineries

Failure to routinely assess the thermal performance of heat exchangers can have serious operational and financial consequences.

Undetected deterioration may result in:

Reduced process efficiency
Increased energy costs
Accelerated equipment degradation
Unexpected process instability
Unplanned outages
Environmental or safety risks

For large refinery operations such as Stanlow, even relatively small inefficiencies multiplied across numerous heat exchangers can result in significant operational losses over time.

Regular aerial thermography surveys provide facilities with valuable operational intelligence that supports safer and more efficient plant performance.

Collaboration with CTP Environment

The successful completion of this inspection programme further demonstrates the value of strategic collaboration between specialist industrial service providers.

Working alongside CTP Environment allowed the inspection programme to combine advanced drone thermography capability with wider industrial operational and engineering support.

This integrated approach enables facilities to obtain high quality inspection data while supporting wider asset integrity and maintenance objectives.