Hydrogen-fueled Drones Will Inspect U.S. Gas Pipeline

Public-safety drone consultancy Skyfire Consulting has announced a partnership with UAV company Doosan Mobility Innovation and hydrogen-fuel service provider ReadyH2 to tackle a pipeline-inspection project for an unnamed American company.

Doosan will deploy a hydrogen-powered octocopter. The drone sports a hydrogen-powered generator fueling two hours of flight time per mission over nearly 50 miles.

ReadyH2, in cooperation with parent company Fortress UAV, will be responsible for providing a ready supply of hydrogen gas for the project.

The six-month mission will establish inspection procedures for a domestic gas pipeline.

“Distances like that are simply not possible on battery technology,” Skyfire CEO Matt Sloane said.

“We’re thrilled … to address a very complex problem of transporting information and items long distances both quickly and efficiently, especially during emergencies and weather issues.”

Last year, the consortium completed a 43-mile, proof-of-concept, medical delivery from St. Croix to St. Thomas under contract with the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health.

The mission delivered simulation vials as a surrogate for diagnostic samples or vaccines in a temperature-controlled payload system.

With the pipeline project, the group will simulate a variety of emergency-response scenarios. The end result — new alerting and reporting protocols that can be used by pipeline companies and public-safety agencies.

“We are very excited to announce our partnerships to prove long-endurance, hydrogen-powered drone achievements with Skyfire Consulting, ReadyH2, and Fortress UAV,” said Doosan Lee, CEO of Doosan Mobility Innovation.

“The long-term success of Doosan Group came from not only the innovative technology, but also strong customer relationships which have been built by sincere customer care and access of reliable solutions. Now Doosan Mobility Innovation is ready to provide excellent customer service and dependable solutions to U.S. industrial drone customers with our state-of-the-art hydrogen fuel cell technology and close collaboration with our U.S. partners.”

Last year, the publication Government CIO named Fortress UAV one of the “Top 10 Law-Enforcement Consulting and Services Companies” due to the company’s efforts to help agencies acquire appropriate aerial assets in addition to maintenance and repair.