Vertex Air holds full CAA Permission for Commercial Operations, and only use market-leading German UAV technology and the most advanced FLIR Thermographic inspection cameras to undertake cutting-edge survey and inspection services.
Thermal Imaging uses infrared camera technology to detect differences in surface temperatures. Traditionally, thermal imagery uses handheld thermal imaging cameras for a variety of different uses, and covering large areas is accordingly costly and time-consuming.
Vertex Air utilises the best in UAV mounted infrared camera technology to deliver quality thermographic surveys, quickly, cost-effectively and safely.
According to Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Hierarchy of Control Measures, the use of UAVs avoid work at height and its attendant risk; it is the safest method of delivering high-level roof and building surveys, and it can yield significant cost-savings when compared to traditional methods of working and access such as scaffolding.
Subsurface Water Leak
Water suppliers across England and Wales have seen great increases in the amount of water leakage across their networks. In 2013, an average of 3,113 megalitres of water per day was estimated to have been lost (that’s over 1 TRILLION litres per year).
Vertex Air has successfully undertaken projects with water suppliers to undertake subsurface water leak surveys using our UAV mounted thermal imaging camera. On cold mornings (0C-2C) any escaped water (10C-12C) is clear on the thermal image. The benefits of using a UAV mounted thermal imaging camera is that it allows the survey of large areas in a short space of time and with access typically difficult or inaccessible areas such as rural land.
The same UAV mounted thermal imaging technology can also be used to detect subsurface steam leaks from district heating networks.
Thermal Building Inspections
Infrared Thermography is also used to evaluate the condition of building envelopes. With the support of our ITC qualified thermographers’ analysis of exhibited temperature differentials, Vertex’s UAV accurately detect moisture entrapment, delamination, water ingress points and concealed defects – enabling works to be planned and managed with much greater certainty.
UAV thermal imaging technology can be used to enhance BREEAM grade advanced building inspections. Typically, thermal building inspectors have trouble obtaining quality thermographic information about the roof and upper levels of facades on building envelopes due to access on and around a site.
Thermal imaging of commercial and domestic buildings can help identify inadequate, damaged or missing insulation, and air leaks and moisture intrusion
Solar Panels
When the cathodic mesh in a solar panel become defective, the resulting short circuit forms a thermal anomaly visible on the outer layer that can be detected by thermal imaging cameras.
Vertex Air’s UAV mounted thermal imaging camera surveys large solar farms more quickly and efficiently than previously achievable, without any of the costs associated with manned access or invasive inspections.
Moreover, when thermal imaging surveys are undertaken on a regular basis as part of a Preventative Planned Maintenance (PPM) scheme, minor faults can be spotted early enough to minimise the downtime of the system and before the defects deteriorate to more a serious condition, thereby reducing both loss of income and the cost of remediation.
Underground Fires
Underground fires at landfill sites are dangerous and more common than you might think. If not dealt with in a swift manner, they can spread and become even more dangerous. Traditional methods of detecting the location of an underground fire involved chartering a helicopter or private plane, which can be costly and add complexity to the method. Our UAV technology efficiently mapped out the whole site, allowing for thermographers to identify hot-spots and give the landfill owner accurate information about the location of the underground fire.
