Services
Robotic and AI-Assisted Inspection
Robots go where scaffolding, tank entry and shutdowns used to: a crawler radiographs girth welds from inside the pipe, ARTiS climbs reformer tubes during the turnaround, and a rover measures a storage tank floor while the tank stays in service.
Request a QuoteIn brief
TCR Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd. provides robotic inspection across India and the GCC. It owns and operates ARTiS automated reformer-tube inspection and the Internal RT Crawler family, for which Saudi Aramco’s SAER-13115 names TCR as technology provider, and deploys partner-delivered tank rovers and submersible ROVs, with an AI-assisted digital laboratory behind the data.
- Reformer tubes: ARTiS has scanned 50,000+ tubes across 80+ inspections, with fitness-for-service to API 579-1/ASME FFS-1.
- Pipelines: the Internal RT Crawler radiographs girth welds from inside 16 to 52 inch pipe.
- Storage tanks: an ATEX/PESO-certified in-service rover works to API 653 without emptying or degassing the tank.
- Underwater: submersible ROV inspection through the Planys Technologies alliance in India, and by TCR Arabia in Saudi Arabia.
- Live pipework: the Scale Checker, through the Chugai Technos alliance, measures scale and blockage without stopping flow.
Key takeaways
- 5 specialised service lines under this pillar, from Pipeline RT Crawlers (TCR-Owned) to The Chugai Technos Scale Checker, with ARTiS cross-listed from asset integrity.
- Governing standards across the pillar include API 653; each service page carries its full standards basis.
- Published technical insights tagged to this pillar are listed below, newest first.
Capabilities and governing standards
One row per service line under Robotic and AI-Assisted Inspection: the service and the standards that govern it. Each linked page carries full method detail, scope and acceptance criteria.
| Service | Governing standards |
|---|---|
| Pipeline RT Crawlers (TCR-Owned) | See service page |
| Robotic Tank Inspection Rover | API 653 |
| Submersible ROV, Underwater Inspection (Planys Alliance) | See service page |
| AGAAS, the AI Agent and Automation Architecture | See service page |
| The Chugai Technos Scale Checker | See service page |
The services of this pillar
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01
Pipeline RT Crawlers (TCR-Owned)
The pipeline RT Crawler fleet (developed in-house at TCR) sits at TCR Engineering and TCR Arabia. The Saudi Aramco-approved Internal RT Crawler is…
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02
Robotic Tank Inspection Rover
In-service storage tank inspection to API 653, known in the industry as OTIS, with the partner-developed, ATEX/PESO-certified ITAS Rover, without emptying or degassing the tank.
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03
Submersible ROV, Underwater Inspection (Planys Alliance)
The Planys alliance carries the underwater robotic inspection ROV for water storage tanks, sub-water bridge piers, intakes, outfalls, sumps, and…
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04
AGAAS, the AI Agent and Automation Architecture
AGAAS is TCR's proprietary intelligent-agent and automation architecture, running across the group's operating workflows rather than as a standalone software product.
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05
The Chugai Technos Scale Checker
A radioisotope system built around a Cs-137 source that measures scale, sludge, and fouling inside live tubes and pipelines without removing insulation or stopping flow.
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06
ARTiS, Automated Reformer Tube Inspection
Automated ultrasonic inspection of reformer tubes, with fitness-for-service assessment per API 579-1/ASME FFS-1.
What is robotic inspection?
Robotic inspection puts the sensor where a person cannot work safely or the asset cannot be stopped: inside a live pipeline, on the floor of a tank still in service, up a reformer tube during a turnaround, or below the waterline. TCR runs it in two ownership categories, and every page states which one a platform belongs to.
- TCR-owned: ARTiS (Automated Reformer Tube Inspection System). The pipeline RT Crawler family that holds the Aramco SAER-13115 cost-avoidance citation.
- Partner-delivered: ITAS Rover, MagRover, MicroRover (TCR delivers OTIS, in-service robotic tank inspection, with partner robots), 3D laser scanning (external partner). Submersible ROV, drones, and bridge-inspection robotics (mix of TCR and partner inventory).
Partner-Delivered Robotics
ITAS Rover, In-Service Tank Inspection
In-service tank internals inspection. Eliminates the need for tank entry and degassing on shell-and-floor surveys.
- ITAS Rover, tank internals: in-service inspection that removes the need for tank entry and degassing on shell-and-floor surveys.
- MagRover, wall-climbing platform: magnetic adhesion, for storage tank shells, pressure vessels, columns and reactor exteriors.
- MagRover payload: ultrasonic thickness measurement, visual capture and corrosion mapping.
- MicroRover, boiler tubes: internal inspection where ID access is the only viable route.
MagRover, Wall-Climbing Magnetic Adhesion Robot
Magnetic-adhesion wall-climbing platform for storage tank shells, pressure vessels, columns, and reactor exteriors. Carries UT thickness measurement, visual capture, and corrosion mapping payload.
MicroRover, Boiler Tubes
Targeted at internal boiler-tube inspection where ID access is the only viable inspection route.
Standards Coverage Matrix (Robotics and AI)
- Pipeline Robotics
- API 1104 22nd Edition (2021); SAEP-1143 (Saudi Aramco RT engineering procedure); ASME B31.4 / B31.8 (2022 eds.); ISO 17636 (RT of welded joints, classes A and B).
- Tank Robotics
- API 653 6th Edition (2024); API RP 575 4th Edition (2020); ATEX 2014/34/EU; PESO certification framework.
- Reformer Tube Robotics (ARTiS)
- API 530 (calculation of heater-tube thickness in petroleum refineries); API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 4th Edition (2021).
- Radiography Digitalisation
- ASME Section V Article 2 and ASTM E1936 (RT film digitisation); ASTM E2698.
- ROV and Underwater
- ASTM E1316 (NDT terminology); IMCA R 004 (ROV codes of practice).
Representative Robotics and AI Engagements
| Client / Project | Service Anchor | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Aramco, CAT Fabrication Shop Dammam | Internal RT Crawler 16-52 inch (SAER-13115) | 2023 to 2025 |
| Likhitha Infrastructure for Nepal Oil Corporation, MAPL Phase II | Cross-border RT Crawler deployment, AERB and BARC permissioned | 2023 |
| EnProCon TJTC Kolar | 9,266 weld joints digitally scanned and cloud-archived | Multiple |
| Dangote Fertiliser, Nigeria | ARTiS reformer life extension | 2023 |
| Emirates Steel Industries, Abu Dhabi | ARTiS DRP1 and DRP2 | 2025 |
| JIFCO, Jordan | RFET and videoscopy of WHRB tubes (ARTiS-adjacent workflow) | 2025 |
| WTCO, KSA | Robotic tank inspection 3-year contract via TCR Arabia | Q1 2025 onward |
| Petrobot ITAS Rover | In-service tank internals inspection | Multiple |
| Petrobot MagRover | Wall-climbing UT thickness and corrosion mapping | Multiple |
| 500+ bridges across India, Maharashtra PWD among the owners | Bridge NDT, including robotic | Continuous |
| BMC robotic underwater bridge programme | AI-assisted underwater inspection on 400+ bridges | March 2026 onward |
| Chugai Technos Hiroshima collaboration | Scale Checker NDE 2025 launch and joint trade show Japan September 2026 | December 2025 onward |
TCR Arabia Robotic Inspection Field Record
In Saudi Arabia, TCR Arabia, the joint venture, has run robotic inspection campaigns for the major operators since 2016, and that field record is the proof behind the capability.
- Since 2016: more than forty robotic remote-visual-inspection and push-camera campaigns on buried concrete-coated, RTR, FRP and GRP seawater and process lines.
- Clients: SABIC and its affiliates, Ibn Al Baytar, SAFCO II, III and IV, Saudi Kayan, Yansab, Al Bayroni and Petrokemya.
- Since 2020: submersible robotic inspection delivering hundred per cent visual and thickness measurement on fire-water, potable-water and demineralised-water tanks, on seawater sumps and intake pipelines, and on underwater piles, with no need to drain and enter the asset.
- 2025: the Saudi Aramco Ras Tanura underwater pile inspection added pulsed eddy-current testing, extending the technique from condition survey to wall-thickness screening below the waterline.
Robotic Remote Visual Inspection of Buried and Unmanned Lines
Since 2016, more than forty robotic remote-visual-inspection and push-camera campaigns have run on buried concrete-coated, RTR, FRP, and GRP seawater and process lines. Clients include SABIC and its affiliates, Ibn Al Baytar, SAFCO II, III, and IV, Saudi Kayan, Yansab, Al Bayroni, Petrokemya, Agri Nutrients, and Ibn Sina, including the autonomous robotic programme at Arrazi in 2025, together with MARAFIQ, the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, the Royal Commission at Ras Al Khair, SAMREF, TASNEE, Jubail Chemical Industries (Jana), Enppi on behalf of Saudi Aramco at Juaymah, and the inspection of the underground GRP pipeline at Jeddah Airport.
Robotic Tank and Basin Inspection
Since 2020, submersible robotic inspection has delivered hundred per cent visual and thickness measurement on fire-water, potable-water, and demineralised-water tanks, on seawater sumps and intake pipelines, and on underwater piles, with no need to drain and enter the asset. Clients include Advance Petrochemical, SABIC and Saudi Kayan, Saudi Aramco at Dhahran and Ras Tanura, Saudi Chevron Phillips, Engie at Dhuruma, Jana Chemicals, and the Water Transmission Company, across Jubail, Riyadh, Dhahran, Madinah, and Yanbu.
The Saudi Aramco Ras Tanura underwater pile inspection in 2025 added pulsed eddy-current testing to the submersible visual scope, extending the technique from condition survey to wall-thickness screening below the waterline.
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Related insights
5 published insights on this site carry the Robotic Inspection tag. The 5 most recent are below.
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ARTiS comes to Japan: answering when a reformer tube comes out, not whether it is damaged
TCR Engineering and TCR Advanced are taking ARTiS, the automated reformer tube inspection system, into Japan with Chugai Technos Corporation of…
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TCR Engineering Launches Scale Checker for Pipe Blockage Diagnostics in Partnership with Chugai Technos (Japan) at NDE 2025 Mumbai
TCR Engineering and Chugai Technos launched the Scale Checker at NDE 2025, Mumbai: a dual-mode Cs-137 gauge that measures internal scale in tubes and pipelines.
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TCR's Inspection Strategies for Aboveground Storage Tanks
Tank integrity with advanced NDT solutions like AE, MFL, PAUT & robotic inspections, ensuring safety, compliance, and longevity
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TCR Arabia Secures Landmark Robotic Inspection Project with WTCO
TCR Arabia secures a 3-year WTCO contract for robotic water tank inspections across Saudi Arabia, starting Q1 2025.
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Microstructure Characterizer Software
Developed by TCR, Microstructure Characterizer is a powerful image analysis software for Metallurgical use.
Frequently asked questions
Which robotic inspection systems does TCR own and operate?
TCR owns ARTiS, the Automated Reformer Tube Inspection System, and the pipeline Internal RT Crawler family developed in-house, which holds the Saudi Aramco SAER-13115 citation. Partner-delivered capability adds the ITAS Rover, MagRover and MicroRover tank and tube robots, submersible ROVs and drones, with ownership always stated plainly.
Is TCR's Internal RT Crawler approved by Saudi Aramco?
Yes. Saudi Aramco engineering report SAER-13115, dated 8 September 2025, names TCR as the Internal RT Crawler technology provider, covering the 16 to 52 inch pipe range.
What is ARTiS reformer tube inspection?
ARTiS is TCR's automated reformer-tube inspection practice with built-in Fitness for Service assessment per API 579-1/ASME FFS-1. The practice has scanned 50,000+ reformer tubes cumulatively across 80+ inspections, including campaigns at Dangote in Nigeria, Emirates Steel in Abu Dhabi and JIFCO in Jordan.
Can TCR perform underwater robotic inspection?
Yes. Submersible ROV inspection runs through the Planys Technologies alliance in India, and TCR Arabia has delivered submersible robotic tank, sump and pile inspection in Saudi Arabia since 2020, including Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura underwater pile inspection in 2025 that added pulsed eddy-current wall-thickness screening below the waterline.
Can a storage tank be inspected robotically while in service?
Yes. The partner-delivered ITAS Rover performs in-service tank internals inspection, eliminating tank entry and degassing on shell-and-floor surveys, under an ATEX/PESO certification framework. The record includes a three-year robotic tank inspection contract with WTCO in Saudi Arabia via TCR Arabia from Q1 2025.
Does TCR use AI in its inspection work?
Yes. AGAAS, the group's proprietary intelligent-agent and automation architecture, runs across operating workflows alongside the AI-assisted digital laboratory. Field programmes include the BMC robotic underwater bridge programme of March 2026, covering 400+ bridges with AI-assisted inspection, and 9,266 weld joints digitally scanned and cloud-archived at EnProCon TJTC Kolar.
Can pressure vessels be inspected robotically?
Yes, from the outside. The partner-delivered MagRover is a magnetic-adhesion wall-climbing platform that carries ultrasonic thickness measurement, visual capture and corrosion mapping across pressure vessels, columns, reactor exteriors and storage tank shells, and the MicroRover inspects boiler tubes from the inside where bore access is the only route.
How is scale or blockage inside a live pipe measured?
With the Scale Checker, a radioisotope system brought to India and the Gulf through the Chugai Technos alliance in Japan. It reads scale, sludge and fouling inside live tubes and pipelines from the outside, without removing insulation or stopping flow, and TCR mobilises it under AERB consent.