The team spent about a year planning the inspection, and chose the U.K.-based Cyberhawk Innovations as their vendor. Cyberhawk pilots completed an inspection process that usually takes weeks in a matter of days, reducing risk to personnel and saving the facility a significant amount of money. These flights also marked the first time a drone performed an inspection to American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code, Section XI Code to be exact, at a U.S. nuclear facility—a huge step forward for UAS in this industry.

To meet code standards, the drone had to verify 100 percent coverage of the domes and satisfy specific visual requirements, Aubrey said. With a few modifications, Cyberhawk was able to achieve that, which has sparked even more interest in UAS in the nuclear community.

"We’ve been inundated with calls," Aubrey said, noting it was the first time they’ve used a drone in the Cook facility. "I know we are going to identify every opportunity we can to incorporate the technology. It’s safer, it’s less expensive and the final product is very good. The only real challenge was convincing folks this new technology is capable to do what we need and to do it safely. There’s a whole site full of believers here now because they’ve seen it."

Read the full article at Inside Unmanned Systems.