Of Infrared Expertise
Plus Alaska & Puerto Rico
Not Drones
For Facility Decision-Makers
Aerial steam leak detection is a non-destructive inspection method that uses aircraft-mounted infrared sensors to identify thermal anomalies associated with underground steam lines, condensate returns, manholes, and conduits. Heat escaping from a buried system can create measurable surface temperature differences that are visible in thermal imagery.
AITscan georeferences these anomalies to the distribution system so facility and engineering teams can focus follow-up investigation on suspected problem areas instead of relying only on complaints, spot checks, or broad excavation.
For campuses, military installations, hospitals, and municipal district energy systems, aircraft-based infrared surveys can provide a network-wide view that supports maintenance planning, repair prioritization, capital requests, and system documentation.
Ground-based thermography can be useful for isolated manholes, exposed piping, or short sections of a steam system. For campuses, municipalities, correctional facilities, and other properties with underground distribution spread across a broad area, aircraft-based infrared surveys can provide a more complete view of the network within a coordinated inspection window.
AITscan can survey multiple miles of underground steam and condensate infrastructure while capturing thermal patterns across manholes, distribution corridors, laterals, and building connections. Collecting the system under similar environmental conditions can help create a more consistent dataset for comparing anomalies across different parts of the network.
This network-wide perspective is especially valuable when facility teams are trying to determine where follow-up investigation should begin. Rather than relying only on known trouble spots, complaints, or isolated ground inspections, aerial infrared data can help reveal suspected heat loss in areas that may not yet show obvious surface symptoms.
The resulting information gives engineering, maintenance, and capital-planning teams a stronger basis for prioritizing verification, scheduling repairs, updating utility records, and evaluating where future infrastructure investment may be needed.
Steam is one of the most energy-intensive utilities a facility can produce, and losses in an aging distribution network can become expensive quickly. The U.S. Department of Energy has documented significant distribution losses in older steam systems, and even a small number of failing segments can materially affect annual fuel costs.
Aerial infrared surveys help change the economics by giving facility teams a network-wide view of suspected heat loss. Instead of relying only on complaints, visible failures, or speculative excavation, AITscan provides ranked thermal findings that help teams focus verification and repairs where the potential impact is highest.
The financial value extends beyond fuel savings. Undetected underground steam failures can lead to emergency excavation, pavement restoration, lane closures, service interruptions, and unplanned labor. Identifying a developing problem before it becomes a major failure can turn an emergency response into scheduled maintenance.
Thermal data can also strengthen capital-planning decisions. When engineering teams need to justify replacing a section of distribution infrastructure, mapped thermal evidence can help support budget requests, repair scopes, and long-term system planning with more than anecdotal observations alone.
For many operators, the ROI of a steam survey comes from a combination of reduced energy loss, better repair prioritization, avoided emergency work, and improved capital planning. On extensive campus or municipal networks, identifying even one significant failure can represent a meaningful financial return on the inspection.
