CASE C06 · MY · 2024
Coal power plant, Malaysia: internal drone inspection of a 180 m stack
Malaysian inspection firm AL Pine used a caged drone to inspect the inside of a 180 m, 8 m-diameter coal-plant stack. Rope access and scaffolding were avoided and the work took 2 days within the shutdown. The stated cost saving is 20%, without a breakdown, in a manufacturer case study.
| Owner | Coal-fired power plant (not named) |
| Provider | All Pipe Inspection and Engineering (AL Pine) |
| Location | Malaysia |
| Aircraft | Flyability Elios 3 (with tripod-mounted range extender) |
| Sensors | 4K video (payload not specified) |
Before
Rope access or scaffolding inside the stack, exposing inspectors to fall risk.
With drones
The drone was flown inside the flue from the ground along a roughly 200 m path.
Outcomes
| Metric | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| cost | 20% overall saving vs traditional methods | Reported |
| duration | stack inspection completed in 2 days without prolonging the shutdown | Reported |
| scope | first of three stacks: 180 m tall, 8 m diameter; client re-booked for a second stack | Reported |
Caveats & limits
- Manufacturer case study; the 20% saving is not broken down or verified.
- Owner, plant and exact year not named (provider has used the drone since 2024).
- The cost saving (20%) is modest compared with other drone claims, showing benefit is not always large.
Sources
- Saving 20% on Stack Inspections with the Elios 3Flyability Full text read
Sources checked: 2026-10-22