Low-cost lightweight airborne laser-based sensors for pipeline leak detection and reporting

Frish, Michael B.; Wainner, Richard T.; Laderer, M. C.; Allen, Mark G.; Rutherford, J.; Wehnert, P.; Dey, Sean; Gilchrist, John R.; Corbi, Ron; Picciaia, Daniele; Andreussi, Paolo; Furry, David

doi:10.1117/12.2015813

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The measurements of the methane concentration found in this work were in the range of 0-900 (ppm·m) which coincides with measurements for typical landfill methane concentrations [33]. In addition, the test flights illustrated how a UAV could be used to map the spatial distribution of the methane even in areas of complex topography.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…One demonstration trial involved surveying a section of a pipeline in Alaska [32]. Some applications were mainly based on using a single sensor, such as laser sensor [33] gas filter [34] and hyperspectral imaging technology [35], while others used sensor fusion algorithms to fuse the measurements gathered from a laser sensor and an electro-optical sensor [36]. Lehmann et al [37] reported a more specific use of UAV for remote sensing of methane concentration using camera system for environmental studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Low-Altitude Aerial Methane Concentration Mapping

2017

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Detection of leaks of fugitive greenhouse gases (GHGs) from landfills and natural gas infrastructure is critical for not only their safe operation but also for protecting the environment. Current inspection practices involve moving a methane detector within the target area by a person or vehicle. This procedure is dangerous, time consuming, labor intensive and above all unavailable when access to the desired area is limited. Remote sensing by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a methane detector is a cost-effective and fast method for methane detection and monitoring, especially for vast and remote areas. This paper describes the integration of an off-the-shelf laser-based methane detector into a multi-rotor UAV and demonstrates its efficacy in generating an aerial methane concentration map of a landfill. The UAV flies a preset flight path measuring methane concentrations in a vertical air column between the UAV and the ground surface. Measurements were taken at 10 Hz giving a typical distance between measurements of 0.2 m when flying at 2 m/s. The UAV was set to fly at 25 to 30 m above the ground. We conclude that besides its utility in landfill monitoring, the proposed method is ready for other environmental applications as well as the inspection of natural gas infrastructure that can release methane with much higher concentrations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low-Altitude Aerial Methane Concentration Mapping

2017

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“…In the following, previous work related to the detection of CH 4 using TDLAS gas sensors is presented: Frish et al (2005Frish et al ( , 2013 and Yang et al (2018) demonstrated that TDLAS sensors mounted on different vehicles (car, airplane, small UAV) are able to identify areas with CH 4 concentration. However, no further processing of the measured integral concentrations and/or no further 3-axis stabilization with the possibility to orient the sensor were proposed.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerial-based gas tomography – from single beams to complex gas distributions

Neumann

Kohlhoff

Hüllmann

et al. 2019

European Journal of Remote Sensing

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In this paper, we present and validate the concept of an autonomous aerial robot to reconstruct tomographic 2D slices of gas plumes in outdoor environments. Our platform, the so-called Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Remote Gas Sensing (UAV-REGAS), combines a lightweight Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) gas sensor with a 3-axis aerial stabilization gimbal for aiming at a versatile octocopter. While the TDLAS sensor provides integral gas concentration measurements, it does not measure the distance traveled by the laser diode's beam nor the distribution of gas along the optical path. Thus, we complement the setup with a laser rangefinder and apply principles of Computed Tomography (CT) to create a model of the spatial gas distribution from a set of integral concentration measurements. To allow for a fundamental ground truth evaluation of the applied gas tomography algorithm, we set up a unique outdoor test environment based on two 3D ultrasonic anemometers and a distributed array of 10 infrared gas transmitters. We present results showing its performance characteristics and 2D plume reconstruction capabilities under realistic conditions. The proposed system can be deployed in scenarios that cannot be addressed by currently available robots and thus constitutes a significant step forward for the field of Mobile Robot Olfaction (MRO).

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“…M. B. Frish et al developed a handheld Remote Methane Leak Detector (RMLD) that employed a 10 mW scale laser and was capable of detecting a few ppm-m methane at a 30 m range [117]. By inserting an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) that boosts the laser output power ~500× to the 5 W scale, and increasing the telescope diameter, they have extended the standoff distance to 3000 m (increased the standoff range by approximately two orders of magnitude) [118]. Then, they provided relatively low-cost lightweight and battery-powered aerial leak sensors.…”

Section: Tdlas With Non-cooperative Targetmentioning

confidence: 99%

Standoff Chemical Detection Using Laser Absorption Spectroscopy: A Review

et al. 2020

Remote Sensing

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Remote chemical detection in the atmosphere or some specific space has always been of great interest in many applications for environmental protection and safety. Laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) is a highly desirable technology, benefiting from high measurement sensitivity, improved spectral selectivity or resolution, fast response and capability of good spatial resolution, multi-species and standoff detection with a non-cooperative target. Numerous LAS-based standoff detection techniques have seen rapid development recently and are reviewed herein, including differential absorption LiDAR, tunable laser absorption spectroscopy, laser photoacoustic spectroscopy, dual comb spectroscopy, laser heterodyne radiometry and active coherent laser absorption spectroscopy. An update of the current status of these various methods is presented, covering their principles, system compositions, features, developments and applications for standoff chemical detection over the last decade. In addition, a performance comparison together with the challenges and opportunities analysis is presented that describes the broad LAS-based techniques within the framework of remote sensing research and their directions of development for meeting potential practical use.

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Low-cost lightweight airborne laser-based sensors for pipeline leak detection and reporting

Cited by 18 publications

References 3 publications

Low-Altitude Aerial Methane Concentration Mapping

Low-Altitude Aerial Methane Concentration Mapping

Aerial-based gas tomography – from single beams to complex gas distributions

Standoff Chemical Detection Using Laser Absorption Spectroscopy: A Review

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