scholarly journals Suitability of a Non-Dispersive Infrared Methane Sensor Package for Flux Quantification Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 4705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adil Shah ◽  
Joseph Pitt ◽  
Khristopher Kabbabe ◽  
Grant Allen
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Mole Fraction ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Methane Flux ◽  
Gain Factor ◽  
Measured Signal ◽  
Allan Deviation ◽  
Methane Sensor ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Flux Quantification

Point-source methane emission flux quantification is required to help constrain the global methane budget. Facility-scale fluxes can be derived using in situ methane mole fraction sampling, near-to-source, which may be acquired from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform. We test a new non-dispersive infrared methane sensor by mounting it onto a small UAV, which flew downwind of a controlled methane release. Nine UAV flight surveys were conducted on a downwind vertical sampling plane, perpendicular to mean wind direction. The sensor was first packaged in an enclosure prior to sampling which contained a pump and a recording computer, with a total mass of 1.0 kg. The packaged sensor was then characterised to derive a gain factor of 0.92 ± 0.07, independent of water mole fraction, and an Allan deviation precision (at 1 Hz) of ±1.16 ppm. This poor instrumental precision and possible short-term drifts made it non-trivial to define a background mole fraction during UAV surveys, which may be important where any measured signal is small compared to sources of instrumental uncertainty and drift. This rendered the sensor incapable of deriving a meaningful flux from UAV sampling for emissions of the order of 1 g s−1. Nevertheless, the sensor may indeed be useful when sampling mole fraction enhancements of the order of at least 10 ppm (an order of magnitude above the 1 Hz Allan deviation), either from stationary ground-based sampling (in baseline studies) or from mobile sampling downwind of sources with greater source flux than those observed in this study. While many methods utilising low-cost sensors to determine methane flux are being developed, this study highlights the importance of adequately characterising and testing all new sensors before they are used in scientific research.

scholarly journals Testing the near-field Gaussian plume inversion flux quantification technique using unmanned aerial vehicle sampling

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1467-1484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adil Shah ◽  
Joseph R. Pitt ◽  
Hugo Ricketts ◽  
J. Brian Leen ◽  
Paul I. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Emission Flux ◽  
Methane Gas ◽  
Emission Fluxes ◽  
Site Access ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Gaussian Plume ◽  
Flux Quantification ◽  
Temperature And Pressure

Abstract. Methane emission fluxes from many facility-scale sources may be poorly quantified, potentially leading to uncertainties in the global methane budget. Accurate atmospheric measurement-based flux quantification is urgently required to address this. This paper describes the first test (using unbiased sampling) of a near-field Gaussian plume inversion (NGI) technique, suitable for facility-scale flux quantification, using a controlled release of methane gas. Two unmanned-aerial-vehicle (UAV) platforms were used to perform 22 flight surveys downwind of a point-source methane gas release from a regulated cylinder with a flowmeter. One UAV was tethered to an instrument on the ground, while the other UAV carried an on-board prototype instrument (both of which used the same near-infrared laser technology). Both instruments were calibrated using certified standards to account for variability in the instrumental gain factor, assuming fixed temperature and pressure. Furthermore, a water vapour correction factor, specifically calculated for the instrument, was applied and is described here in detail. We also provide guidance on potential systematic uncertainties associated with temperature and pressure, which may require further characterisation for improved measurement accuracy. The NGI technique was then used to derive emission fluxes for each UAV flight survey. We found good agreement of most NGI fluxes with the known controlled emission flux, within uncertainty, verifying the flux quantification methodology. The lower and upper NGI flux uncertainty bounds were, on average, 17 %±10(1σ) % and 227 %±98(1σ) % of the controlled emission flux, respectively. This range of conservative uncertainty bounds incorporate factors including the variability in the position of the time-invariant plume and potential for under-sampling. While these average uncertainties are large compared to methods such as tracer dispersion, we suggest that UAV sampling can be highly complementary to a toolkit of flux quantification approaches and may be a valuable alternative in situations where site access for tracer release is problematic. We see tracer release combined with UAV sampling as an effective approach in future flux quantification studies. Successful flux quantification using the UAV sampling methodology described here demonstrates its future utility in identifying and quantifying emissions from methane sources such as oil and gas extraction infrastructure facilities, livestock agriculture, and landfill sites, where site access may be difficult.

scholarly journals Simulation of UAV Systems

10.14311/754 ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kaňovský ◽  
L. Smrcek ◽  
C. Goodchild
Keyword(s):  
Dynamical System ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Inertial System ◽  
Principal Function ◽  
Low Weight ◽  
High Bandwidth ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Selection Of

The study described in this paper deals with the issue of a design tool for the autopilot of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and the selection of the airdata and inertial system sensors. This project was processed in cooperation with VTUL a PVO o.z. [1]. The feature that distinguishes the autopilot requirements of a UAV (Figs. 1, 7, 8) from the flight systems of conventional manned aircraft is the paradox of controlling a high bandwidth dynamical system using sensors that are in harmony with the low cost low weight objectives that UAV designs are often expected to achieve. The principal function of the autopilot is flight stability, which establishes the UAV as a stable airborne platform that can operate at a precisely defined height. The main sensor for providing this height information is a barometric altimeter. The solution to the UAV autopilot design was realised with simulations using the facilities of Matlab® and in particular Simulink®[2]. 

scholarly journals Design of a Low-Cost Fixed Wing UAV

2018 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 02045
Author(s):  
Mochammad Ariyanto ◽  
Joga D. Setiawan ◽  
Teguh Prabowo ◽  
Ismoyo Haryanto ◽  
Munadi
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Flight Test ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Straight Wing

This research will try to design a low cost of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using low-cost material that able to fly autonomously. Six parameters of UAV’s structure will be optimized based on basic airframe configuration, wing configuration, straight wing, tail configuration, fuselage material, and propeller location. The resulted and manufactured prototype of fixed-wing UAV will be tested in autonomous fight tests. Based on the flight test, the developed UAV can successfully fly autonomously following the trajectory command. The result shows that low-cost material can be used as a body part of fixed-wing UAV.

scholarly journals Aerial physical interaction via IDA-PBC

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burak Yüksel ◽  
Cristian Secchi ◽  
Heinrich H. Bülthoff ◽  
Antonio Franchi
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Surface Inspection ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
External Disturbances ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Passivity Based Control ◽  
The Stability ◽  
First Time

This paper proposes the use of a novel control method based on interconnection and damping assignment–passivity-based control (IDA-PBC) in order to address the aerial physical interaction (APhI) problem for a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The apparent physical properties of the quadrotor are reshaped in order to achieve better APhI performances, while ensuring the stability of the interaction through passivity preservation. The robustness of the IDA-PBC method with respect to sensor noise is also analyzed. The direct measurement of the external wrench, needed to implement the control method, is compared with the use of a nonlinear Lyapunov-based wrench observer and advantages/disadvantages of both methods are discussed. The validity and practicability of the proposed APhI method is evaluated through experiments, where for the first time in the literature, a lightweight all-in-one low-cost force/torque (F/T) sensor is used onboard of a quadrotor. Two main scenarios are shown: a quadrotor responding to external disturbances while hovering (physical human–quadrotor interaction), and the same quadrotor sliding with a rigid tool along an uneven ceiling surface (inspection/painting-like task).

scholarly journals Volumetric calculation using low cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 270 ◽  
pp. 012032 ◽  
Author(s):  
A A Ab Rahman ◽  
K N Abdul Maulud ◽  
F A Mohd ◽  
O Jaafar ◽  
K N Tahar
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

Designing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Specific Aerial Applications of Insecticides and Herbicides

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed S. Mayeed ◽  
Gabriel Darveau
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Lift Force ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Von Mises Stress ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Aerial Application ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Flight Duration ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

In this study a gasoline powered hexa-copter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been designed as a solution to farmers’ need for a low cost, easy to maintain, long flight duration, and multi-purpose means of specific aerial applications for insecticides and herbicides. Application of herbicides and pesticides by airplane is an example of how farmers have used technology to improve their bottom line and overall quality of life. Fields can now be sprayed in under an hour instead of consuming an entire day. However, if a producer has noxious weeds in only a small area, fixed-wing aerial application cannot be used as it is only accurate enough to do an entire field. Currently there is no solution for small scale, accurate, aerial herbicide application to meet this need. The currently available Yamaha Rmax UAV costs a tremendous amount of money and also requires a lot of money to maintain. Though it may be useful in large scale aerial spraying on the farm land, it would not be used in targeted specific areas as it is not efficient in specific applications. The gasoline powered hexacopter UAV designed in this study is a low cost solution to farmers’ need for specific aerial applications of insecticides and herbicides. The UAV design can carry 2–3 gallons of herbicide (16.7–25.0 lbs.) for a flight time of more than 30 minutes without refueling. The design could be transported in a 60.3in × 56.7in pickup bed. Structural and fatigue analyses are performed on the complete structure using state of the art software SolidWorks Simulation. The minimum factor of safety is obtained to be 10 based on maximum von Mises stress failure criteria. Under normal conditions with an estimated commercial use of 100 cycles per day it is observed that the design would survive for about 13 years without any fatigue failure. A drop test analysis is performed to ensure the design can survive a 5 feet freefall and a frequency analysis is also performed to observe the critical natural frequency of the structure. Flow simulations are performed on the 6 propellers/blades model using state of the art software SolidWorks Flow Simulation to observe the effect of vorticity interactions on the lift force. The design has been reasonably optimized based on maximizing the lift force. With this new UAV design small scale and substantial farmers could afford a personal UAV for aerial applications with a small amount of capital whose absence hindered efficient and effective specific aerial application for many years.

scholarly journals A Low-Cost Technique for Radio-Tracking Wildlife Using a Small Standard Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junior A. Tremblay ◽  
André Desrochers ◽  
Yves Aubry ◽  
Paul Pace ◽  
David M. Bird
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Radio Tracking ◽  
Aerial Vehicle
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