BREEZE-Boundary Red Emission Zone Estimation Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Catastrophic gas leaks necessitate rapid hazardous area mapping by First Responder Teams (FRTs).
• Current manual mapping methods using hand-held detectors are limited by human mobility and capacity, posing risks to responders.
• Accurate and swift delineation of red zones is crucial for civilian safety and effective emergency management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an autonomous gas sensing method using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for efficient hazardous zone mapping.
• To introduce and evaluate the Boundary Red Emission Zone Estimation (BREEZE) path planning approach for real-time gas dispersion monitoring.
• To enhance the speed and precision of red zone estimation compared to conventional methods.

Main Methods:

• Development of a custom path planner, BREEZE, for UAV-based gas sensing.
• Implementation of adaptive path planning for real-time monitoring and online analysis of gas dispersion measurements.
• Simulation of a cluttered urban environment under various conditions to test the BREEZE approach.

Main Results:

• The BREEZE approach demonstrated autonomous red zone estimation.
• The method achieved faster estimation compared to predetermined path strategies.
• A precision rate exceeding ninety percent was recorded in simulation.

Conclusions:

• UAV-based gas sensing with the BREEZE algorithm offers a significant improvement for hazardous area mapping.
• The adaptive path planning and real-time analysis capabilities enhance the efficiency and safety of emergency response operations.
• The BREEZE method provides a precise and rapid solution for delineating hazardous zones in complex environments.