PNIPU and ALS: LaserHub + Software and hardware interface for measuring methane emissions using UAVs

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2023: LaserHub+

Scientists PNIPU and aerial surveying specialists from LLC "" Unmanned aircraft systems have developed a software and hardware interface that makes remote monitoring more economical and easy to use for the end user. This was announced on November 1, 2023 by representatives of PNIPU.

X-FLY quadcopter with LMm methane detector

Methane emissions are a problem of many industries, and industries rural urban economy. This gas accelerates the process of global warming and pollutes the environment. It is important to find and control sources of methane emissions in order to identify damage, reduce and eliminate it if possible. Ground monitoring is complicated by the fact that emission areas are difficult to access, pose a danger to humans and occupy large areas. And the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is expensive, including due to foreign commercial software.

LaserHub + Internals

PNIPU scientists and aerial surveying specialists decided to monitor methane emissions through real-time air composition indicators using on-board drone devices. To do this, they used UAVs based on an open architecture - the X-FLY quadcopter (Russia) with a Pixhawk Cube Black flight controller. Its weight with a battery was 3.8 kg, the flight duration with a payload of 0.5 kg under normal conditions was 25 minutes.

Displaying the LMm Detector Readings in the Mission Planner Interface

Laser Methane mini laser detector was chosen to determine the concentration of methane in the air. It is distinguished by light weight, a wide range of measurements, optimal sensitivity and speed of measurements. Laser detectors are able to receive information about the entire surface air column above a given point on the earth's surface in one measurement. They are insensitive to changes in meteorological conditions, unlike electrochemical sensors, their readings are not affected by the downward flow of air created by the screws of multirotor UAVs. To integrate the UAV and the laser methane detector, the researchers created a dedicated firmware interface called LaserHub +. Engineers studied foreign analogues, conducted reverse engineering (analyzing the finished device into its components), decrypted data streams from the detector and created a domestic analogue. The cost of LaserHub + is 2.5 thousand rubles.

It transmits data and coordinates of methane concentration measurements from the detector to the drone, and then to the ground control stantsiyu​​ in real time. After that, gas exploration data can be easily extracted in Excel sheet format and analyzed in specialized programs.

LMm detector connection (left) to flight controller (center) via LaserHub + (right)

The LaserHub + module is a simpler design than known existing complexes. The end user can independently assemble it from the available components according to the finished drawings and program codes. Using LaserHub + allows you to get by with one free public program for setting up equipment, planning flights and extracting collected data instead of a set of specialized commercial programs. told Timofey Filkin, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Junior Researcher, Laboratory of Rational Nature Management and Nature-Like Technologies, PNIPU

The developed technical solution was tested during gas surveys of landfills and landfills of solid municipal waste and made sure of its effectiveness. Studies of methane emissions require the use of modern methods and technical means for measuring gas concentration in air. The LaserHub + software and hardware interface developed by PNIPU scientists and specialists of Unmanned Aviation Systems LLC is available and versatile, since it can work with other helicopter-type drones and other models of laser detectors.

The study is published in the journal "Drones," 2023. The development was carried out with the financial support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (project No. FSNM-2020-0024).