Effectiveness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on Pipeline Surveillance in Nigeria: A Preliminary Survey

Abstract

This study examines the usefulness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) on pipeline surveillance in Nigeria over the traditional method. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is an effective role occasioned with the use of UAV against traditional method of pipeline surveillance. The population of this study is 4648, from which the sample size of 369 was selected using a combination of cluster sampling and deliberate sampling. Questionnaires were the major instrument used in data collection. Simple percentages were used in analyzing the data collected from the questionnaire. Hypothesis were formulated, statistics was applied to test the hypothesis. Results show that there are challenges occasioned by the use the traditional pipeline surveillance method; that there is a relationship between asset safety and employee’s safety by the deployment of a UAV against the traditional method; that the deployment of a UAV optimize profitability and reduce loss occasioned with the use of traditional surveillance method, and that UAV is a preferred for pipeline surveillance compared to traditional surveillance method. The study recommended that oil and gas companies should as a matter of urgency embrace the deployment of UAV on pipeline safety to promote sustainability, efficient service delivery, real time imagery and more. The given solution is effective, cost-efficient and very reliable as it promotes health, safety and environmental best practice all over developed countries of the world.