API Pipeline Conference & Expo

Innovative Drone-Based Measurement of Pipeline Burial Depth

Pipeline operators must maintain an accurate understanding of pipeline burial depth across vast networks, often located in challenging environments such as rivers, unstable slopes, marshes, and coastal zones. Traditional survey methods can be slow, hazardous, and limited in data density.

This work presents a novel drone‑based solution developed by Geomorphic Solutions, Skipper NDT, and Marathon Pipe Line. The system integrates high‑precision magnetometers, GNSS PPP positioning, and inertial sensors into a lightweight aerial platform capable of mapping pipeline location and depth without requiring personnel to enter dangerous terrain or waterways.

Field evaluations across multiple sites demonstrate strong agreement between drone‑based measurements and traditional surveying, with average differences of only a few inches. The drone approach also delivers significantly higher data density, enabling improved geohazard assessment and more informed operational decisions.

This technology offers a safer, faster, and more accurate method for inspecting pipeline depth of cover, representing a major advancement for pipeline integrity management in complex environments.