Application of unmanned aerial vehicle technology in patrolling oil/gas pipelines

China's long-distance oil/gas pipelines are characterized by long operating mileage, wide distribution and complex environment along the pipelines. The study on the way to promote pipeline safety management level, especially in line patrol is of great significance to reduce pipeline safety accidents and risks and ensure smooth and safe operation of pipelines. Due to the limitation of geographical conditions and the influence of natural environment, the traditional manual patrol of oil/gas pipelines has some limitations, which restrict patrol quality and efficiency. In this paper, the method of patrolling oil/gas pipelines by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology was researched, and then combined with the actual situations of oil/gas pipeline enterprises, its feasibility was verified. It is shown that UAV patrol technology can effectively compensate for the shortcomings of manual patrol mode, reduce patrol cost, improve work efficiency and promote modern management level of oil/gas pipeline, and it is the key development direction of pipeline patrol in the future.