Case Study: BlueScope Steel restores hot blast system with Applus+ drone inspection

BlueScope Steel completes a 5-day drone inspection with Applus+ and recovers 85 GB of data

The customer, BlueScope Steel, faced the challenge of inspecting the internal condition of a decommissioned hot blast system that was not designed for human access. They needed a 100% visual inspection with high-definition video to determine if the system could be repaired or if it needed to be rebuilt. Applus+ utilized its UAV inspection services with the ELIOS 2 drone to address this challenge.

Applus+ implemented an innovative solution using a custom-made range extender to overcome the drone's signal limitations within the massive system, employing a "leap frog" technique to complete the inspection without losing contact. This allowed them to collect 85 GB of data over five days. As a result of the inspection conducted by Applus+, engineers determined the system was repairable, enabling BlueScope Steel to return it to production.

BlueScope Steel