A first for US drone flights

HEX's Furie uses drone to haul water to Cook Inlet platform; in future hope to use for moving water samples and small cargo

Kay Cashman

Petroleum News

After 3 years in development, on July 10 HEX Cook Inlet and Furie Operating Alaska in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks" Alaska Center for Unmanned Aerial Systems Integration, conducted the first Beyond Visual Line of Sight drone flight to and from an offshore oil and gas platform in the United States.

During flight operations airspace was monitored utilizing Raytheon Technologies ground based detect and avoid radar system. A notice to airmen was submitted before each flight.

UAF drone pilots also monitored air traffic frequencies and announced operations in the area to avoid any conflicts with other aviation activities. The test used a SuperVolo Gen 4 unmanned aerial system. It was a vertical takeoff and land system with hybrid gas/electric motors and a cruising speed of 50 knots.

Furie had approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for the Beyond Visual Line of Sight to conduct the 15-mile flight. It was the first waiver approved in the United States for a flight to and from an offshore platform.

HEX said it was a great opportunity to utilize emerging technology in Cook Inlet and throughout the state of Alaska.

"It is our hope that by establishing a safe and reliable program with our operations, it will serve as a steppingstone for additional drone usage not only in the oil and gas industry but across Alaska," HEX President John Hendrix said.

The 55-pound drone was monitored remotely by UAF pilots on either end of the route. The drone carried two jugs of water, three pounds each.

Pilot Jason Williams was stationed at Furie Operating Alaska"s central processing facility in Nikiski and another UAF drone pilot was on the platform. Plus there was a camera mounted on the drone to keep an eye on what was happening in Cook Inlet.

The initial test flight began at Furie"s onshore processing facility in Nikiski and flew along the pipeline corridor to Furie"s offshore gas platform. Flying at around 50 knots it took approximately 30 minutes to fly the 15-mile route. Once refueled and a payload attached (in this case water) the drone returned to Furie"s processing facility.

According to a report by KDLL, public radio for the central Kenai Peninsula, J.R. Ancheta is a project manager for the "nationally recognized Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration" at UAF.

Last year, the program received federal approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to oversee drone flights by other organizations, KDLL reported.

"So once we prove to them that this concept is viable, then we can transition to having Furie do this operation using a drone," he said. "And so today, will be actually the first commercial drone operation for supporting the oil and gas industry. .... So it"s really exciting."

Hunter Van Wyhe, Furie operations engineer, told Petroleum News that Furie started looking at the use of drones about 3 years ago in 2021.

"We first looked at using them for water sampling off the platform. We were trying to do it with crew changes."

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation requires Furie to periodically submit water samples. Hendrix, president and CEO of HEX Cook Inlet, which acquired Furie in 2021, said the company currently transports water samples between the platform and its processing facility using a vacuum tube or helicopter.

"We had an immediate need for it, so why not try to use it here, to embed this technology and get something off the ground," he said.

When HEX/Furie first started looking into drone usage they were put off by the intense regulatory process.

"So we engaged with UAF and their quality program. " They are working with FAA on the regulatory process."

But "longer term we were also looking at the ability to send small miscellaneous cargo, maybe as much as 20 pounds without having to employ a vessel to the platform," Wyhe said.