SpecDrone
Precision-controlled drones flying in pairs for mobile spectroscopic methane detection in the open path.
Starting point
The development of drones has evolved rapidly in recent years and is one of the fastest growing technologies of the decade. As mobile sensor platforms, drones have revolutionized metrological applications, especially in the fields of inspection, surveillance and environmental monitoring. Optical sensor technologies in particular are often used to detect harmful gases. Methane is the second largest contributor to the greenhouse effect after CO2 and is the subject of intensive research. The main sources are the oil and gas industry and landfill sites. Identifying and assessing these sources requires the investigation of large areas, which is inefficient with conventional point sensors. Open-path spectroscopy enables the detection of the gases of interest over long distances (-50m) and is commonly used in stationary applications.
Overview
-
Description:
The goal of the project is to expand the application possibilities of drones by improving flight precision and implementing swarm algorithms for cooperative control and orientation of drones. These developments will enable the use of gas sensors based on open-path spectroscopy to effectively scan large areas for emission sources such as methane.
-
Funding organization:
-
Duration:
01.11.2023 - 31.10.2025
-
Project Manager:
Prof. (FH) PD Dr. Mario Döller
FH-Rector
Project objectives
The project goal is to expand the applications of drones by improving flight precision and implementing swarm algorithms for cooperative control and orientation of drones. These developments will enable the use of gas sensors based on open-path spectroscopy to effectively scan large areas for emission sources such as methane.
The fusion of precise paired flight of two drones and open-path spectroscopy will enable numerous applications in the future besides methane detection, such as fire gas detection, industrial emissions investigation, or landmine detection, each of which aims to identify (environmentally) harmful emission sources to improve air quality and reduce environmental pollution.
Solution approaches
The following specific developments are aimed at achieving the objective:
- Design and instrumentation of communication interfaces between drones for the realization of coordinated pair flight.
- Development of innovative swarm algorithms for the cooperative control and orientation of the drones.
- Integration of a stabilization platform (gimbal) and the development of the necessary control algorithms, which act fused with the control strategies of the drone.
- Integration and instrumentation of suitable electronic components including a central processing unit (embedded computer) and a DAQ system as the hardware basis for executing the developed control strategies.
- Adaptation of a drone platform for the integration of the necessary system components in compliance with the maximum payload of 6 kg and maximum focus on energy efficiency of all components.
- Development of a methane detector based on absorption spectroscopy in the near infrared spectral range, which achieves a minimum range of 50m and a detection limit of 10 ppm*m as an open path setup.
