Case Study
MFE Supports Consultco in Zero-Downtime Drone Inspections for Stacks
Benefits
Zero Downtime
Complete Ultrasonic Thickness Coverage
Using Voliro T for external stack inspections and Elios 3 for internal ones, Consultco captured UT measurements across every surface of each stack—even areas previously unreachable.
Five Stacks in Three Days
Consultco used the Voliro T drone to complete five stack inspections in just three days, compared to the one-per-day pace of traditional methods.
Introduction
When a mineral processing facility near Montreal needed precise thickness measurements for several stacks, it turned to Consultco.
Stack inspections are crucial for ensuring safe, reliable operations. Missed data can lead to unexpected failures, costly repairs, or unscheduled downtime—risks no operator can afford.
But getting the measurements right is not easy. Tall, congested stacks are difficult and dangerous to access, and traditional inspection methods often fail to deliver the data operators need.
The Challenge
Stack inspections are critical for maintaining safety and ensuring reliable operations.
But at this mineral processing facility, the way these inspections were done made them expensive, dangerous, and slow. These limitations often discouraged inspections, even though managers knew how important they were for maintenance planning.
The problem wasn’t the value of inspections—it was the methods. Traditional approaches relied on scaffolding, man lifts, and hand tools, all of which carried high costs and significant risks. Even when stacks were shut down, inspectors still struggled to capture the complete data needed to guide repairs and prevent failures.
Traditional methods for stack inspections were limited by:
- Expensive scaffolding. Building platforms or using man lifts required a major investment of resources, increased safety hazards, and often took multiple days for a single stack.
- Limited access. Ladders and hand tools gave inspectors access to only a portion of each stack, leaving blind spots in the data.
- Costly shutdowns. Stacks had to be taken offline before some inspections could proceed, adding expense while still delivering only partial coverage.
Faced with these challenges, the facility turned to Consultco. And Consultco turned to its technology partner MFE Inspection Solutions to find the best way forward.
The Solution
To improve the facility’s stack inspections, Consultco proposed a new approach: using drones for remote data collection.
After consulting with MFE, Consultco decided to primarily use the Voliro T inspection drone because:
- The Voliro T can collect reliable UT data. It is one of the only drones that can collect ultrasonic thickness data, including at high temperatures—allowing the stacks to stay on, with no downtime needed.
- The Voliro T is incredibly stable. It maintains exceptional steadiness in flight, allowing it to hover against vertical, horizontal, or angled surfaces while the UT probe collects accurate data. Unlike traditional drones, the Voliro T’s tilt-rotor design lets it approach structures from virtually any orientation—making it one of the most stable and versatile inspection drones on the market.
For areas inside the stacks or in congested clusters where external access is impossible, Consultco also uses the Elios 3, a drone purpose-built for confined-space inspections, equipped with a UT probe.
Together, the Elios 3 and Voliro T provide a complementary workflow that allows both internal and external stack inspections to be completed safely and efficiently.
MFE’s guidance went far beyond finding the right equipment, playing a key role in helping Consultco meet its client’s stack inspection needs.
From providing equipment and training to offering hands-on technical guidance, MFE made sure Consultco had the resources to succeed in its first stack inspections with the Voliro T and Elios 3.
“MFE’s support went far beyond tool selection, with team members playing a key role in supporting Consultco’s adoption of the technology. From providing equipment and training to offering hands-on technical guidance, they made sure we had the resources we needed to succeed.”
– Scott Lemoyre, Engineering Manager at Consultco
From Proof of Concept to Full Deployment
Consultco began with a proof of concept at the mineral facility, testing how the Voliro T could capture accurate UT stack data from hard-to-reach areas. The drone performed well, gathering accurate thickness measurements from places scaffolding and man lifts could not reach.
To validate performance, the drone’s UT readings were compared with manual measurements from previous inspections in those areas that could be reached. The data matched, giving facility operators confidence in the reliability of the new approach.
With the Voliro T, Consultco delivered stack inspections that were not only faster and safer but also more complete than traditional methods.
After the successful test, the facility gave Consultco the green light to begin doing stack inspections by drone.
The Results
The drone-based approach proved not only to work, but to scale well.
In the first three days, the Consultco team completed five stack inspections, and the facility has asked them back to do more.
Key results:
- Faster inspections. Five stacks were inspected in just three days, compared to the one-per-day pace of scaffolding and man lifts.
- Complete coverage. Using the Voliro T for external areas and the Elios 3 for internal ones, the team accessed congested zones where UT data had never been collected before, providing a full set of measurements across every stack.
- No downtime. High-temperature UT probes allowed inspections to continue while the facility remained online, avoiding costly shutdowns.
- Validated accuracy. Drone-based results aligned with manual data, confirming reliability and enabling confident maintenance decisions.
“We did five stacks in three days. Before, it could take a full day just to do one stack with scaffolding or man lifts, and even then the data was incomplete. With the Voliro T, we got more measurements than ever before—and the plant stayed online the whole time.”
– Scott Lemoyre, Engineering Manager at Consultco
The facility also recognized the value of Consultco’s broader workflow, which combines Voliro T for external stack inspections with the Elios 3 for internal ones.
By proving accuracy and scalability in real-world conditions, Consultco showed that drone-based UT is more than an experiment—it is a practical new standard for stack inspections.
Conclusion: Proving a New Standard for Stack Inspections
Consultco’s project showed that drone-based ultrasonic testing with the Voliro T and the Elios 3 is not only possible, but practical and repeatable.
By combining the Voliro T with the Elios 3 for internal inspections, Consultco has developed a flexible, repeatable workflow that can adapt to different stack geometries and inspection needs. That versatility reflects Consultco’s—and MFE’s—commitment to applying the most advanced inspection solutions available to improve safety, efficiency, and data quality for clients.
The impact of this new approach is already being felt.
Stack inspections that once required days of downtime and high-risk labor can now be completed in hours, with greater accuracy and reliability.
Thanks to Consultco’s drone-based workflow, the client has begun rethinking its entire stack inspection program, and the results point to a broader future where drone-based UT is the standard across industries.
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