(LiveMint)
India’s top state-run fuel retailers are collaborating and often investing in startups to solve several vexing issues facing the companies. For Indian Oil Corp. Ltd, corrosion of its pipelines has been an enduring problem. The country’s largest fuel retailer spends ₹ 70,000 per kilometre annually to maintain its pipeline and with the task of monitoring a 13,000km-long network, the cost of keeping the pipeline network healthy is mammoth. That cost is expected to fall, thanks to a startup funded by state-run Indian Oil.
“We have a startup which claims it can develop a novel material composition which when applied on an operating pipeline heals corrosion,” said S.S.V. Ramakumar, director for research and development at Indian Oil. For state-run Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL), shutting down its refinery stack (the refinery chimney) and checking underground pipelines has become easy through a startup that uses drones.
“Chimneys and stacks need to be inspected regularly. You raise scaffolding, somebody climbs up to inspect and it is shut for two to three days. However, an industrial drone which is pre-programmed, flies around boilers and stacks assessing the status of these assets. It then brings data which is useful in making reports,” said A. Krishnaswamy, BPCL’s digital and strategy head. There are underwater drones too which help BPCL monitor single buoy moorings and underwater pipes for leakages and repairs.
