Aerial Thermal · Metro Vancouver
Industrial Thermal Survey in Burnaby, BC
Heat-loss mapping on tanks and pipelines, refractory damage, stack hot spots, and district-energy networks — plant-scale radiometric surveys from the air. Flown by Transport Canada-certified RPAS pilots serving Burnaby and the Metro Vancouver region — since 1999 as BC's leak detection and inspection specialists.
Free phone consult · No pressure · Mon–Sat 8am–6pm PT
Flying Burnaby: local context
Metrotown/Brentwood towers plus refinery-adjacent industry give Burnaby both envelope and industrial-thermal demand.
Local asset profile: Metrotown and Brentwood tower clusters on post-tensioned slabs, 1960s–70s walk-ups mid-slope, and heavy industrial along the Fraser.
Typical industrial thermal survey work around Burnaby
- Tower façade scans
- Industrial heat-loss mapping
- Tank and pipeline heat-loss programs
- Refractory and stack condition
- District heating networks
How the Burnaby survey runs
- 1
Asset inventory
The survey list is built from the site's integrity and energy priorities — tanks, lines, stacks, substations, networks.
- 2
Flight campaign
Systematic radiometric capture across the inventory, flown at conditions that maximise each asset class's signal.
- 3
Analysis
Findings classified: insulation loss, refractory hot spots, level/interface lines, electrical heating — quantified, not just imaged.
- 4
Program report
Asset-by-asset condition with ranked actions — the screening layer that aims follow-up NDT and maintenance spend precisely.
Burnaby questions, answered
What does a stack or refractory hot spot mean?
External hot spots on stacks, kilns, and lined vessels mark where internal refractory has thinned or failed — the shell is seeing temperatures it was never designed for. Caught early it is a reline entry on the next planned outage; caught late it is a shell breach. Aerial thermography monitors the whole structure, including elevations nobody can see from grade.
Can you find buried district-heating leaks from the air?
Yes — buried hot-water distribution leaks paint persistent warm anomalies on the surface above, especially in cool conditions. Flying the network maps loss points across kilometres in a session, and pairs naturally with our acoustic and GPR underground leak services for pinpointing.
How does thermal mapping quantify insulation heat loss?
Radiometric surface temperatures across a tank or line, combined with ambient and wind data, convert to estimated heat-flux differentials between intact and degraded zones. The output ranks insulation repairs by energy payback — maintenance with an ROI attached.
Can you scan electrical infrastructure?
Switchyards, transmission hardware, and substation equipment scan well from safe standoff — loose connections and overloaded components heat distinctively. We coordinate flight clearances with operations; nobody approaches energised gear.
Can you legally fly drones for inspection in Burnaby?
Yes — our pilots hold Transport Canada RPAS certification with advanced-operations capability, and Burnaby operations run under whatever airspace authorizations the location requires. Metrotown/Brentwood towers plus refinery-adjacent industry give Burnaby both envelope and industrial-thermal demand. Flight planning, NOTAM checks, and authorizations are part of the service, not your problem.
How does Burnaby weather affect scheduling?
Aerial inspection flies in defined weather windows — wind, precipitation, and (for thermal work) the right temperature differentials. Burnaby sits in our standing Metro Vancouver coverage, so we schedule against the local forecast and typically land the survey within days of booking rather than weeks. Mon–Sat, 8am–6pm Pacific.
What does industrial thermal survey cost in Burnaby?
Province-wide pricing — no regional premium for Burnaby. Single-asset thermal surveys typically start in the high hundreds; NDT campaigns and multi-asset programs are quoted by scope. The free phone consult (604-239-9934) produces a firm number in about five minutes.
Other aerial services in Burnaby
Aerial High-Temperature UT in Burnaby
Wall-thickness measurement on hot, in-service assets — 0 to 260 °C (32–500 °F) — without shutdown, by drone. Echo-to-echo and pulsed-echo modes with live A-scan.
View serviceAerial Pulsed Eddy Current (CUI) in Burnaby
Corrosion-under-insulation screening through cladding — pulsed eddy current by drone reads wall thickness through up to 100 mm of insulation and weather jacket. No stripping.
View serviceAerial Solar Farm Inspection in Burnaby
Hot spots, string failures, bypass-diode faults, and underperforming modules — radiometric drone survey of entire PV arrays without taking the system offline.
View serviceAerial Roof Thermal Inspection in Burnaby
Radiometric drone thermography over flat commercial and industrial roofs — trapped moisture, failed insulation, and developing leaks mapped before interior damage shows.
View service← All about industrial thermal survey·Aerial inspection hub·drone.leak.ca
Aerial Industrial Thermal Survey near Burnaby
Need industrial thermal survey in Burnaby?
Free phone consult — asset, access, airspace, and a firm quote in five minutes. No pressure.