Autonomous UAV Gas Leak Detection and Mitigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Gas leaks in processing plants, industrial facilities, and transportation systems pose health and safety hazards, cause equipment failure, and result in economic losses due to the slow process of locating and mitigating leaks, which often involves human operators at risk of error and harm.

Innovation Solution

A method and system utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to quickly locate gas leaks by collecting visual images, combining this data with sensory and environmental data to determine the leak location and impacted components, and recommending mitigation actions to resolve the leak without human intervention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a human operator is dispatched to locate the gas leak, then the gas leak location can be identified, but the process is slow and exposes the operator to health and safety risks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegas leak location identification accuracyVSAvoidtime to locate and mitigate gas leak

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

An autonomous UAV system serves as an intermediary between the gas leak detection sensors and human operators. The UAV autonomously navigates to the leak location, captures visual images, and transmits data back to operators, eliminating the need for operators to physically travel to hazardous areas while maintaining accurate location identification

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical system of human operators physically traveling to locate leaks with an automated aerial vehicle system equipped with sensors and image processing capabilities. This substitution enables rapid, safe, and accurate leak location identification without human exposure to hazards

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If human operators are involved in the gas leak mitigation process, then the leak can be located and repaired, but human errors and safety risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegas leak mitigation effectivenessVSAvoidhealth and safety hazards to human operators

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The autonomous UAV acts as an intermediary that performs hazardous tasks in place of human operators. It navigates to the leak source, captures images for analysis, and provides data for mitigation planning, keeping operators at a safe distance while maintaining reliable leak identification and mitigation effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-service by autonomously navigating to the gas leak location, capturing visual data, and providing information for mitigation decisions without requiring human operators to physically approach the hazardous area. This self-service capability eliminates operator exposure to health and safety risks

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If traditional manual processes are used for gas leak detection and mitigation, then the process can be completed, but downtime and economic costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeed of gas leak mitigation processVSAvoidoperational downtime due to gas leak

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by immediately dispatching the autonomous UAV upon gas leak detection. The UAV autonomously navigates to the location and captures images for analysis, enabling rapid identification and mitigation planning that significantly reduces operational downtime compared to manual dispatch processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces slow manual processes with an automated aerial vehicle system that can rapidly respond to gas leaks. The autonomous navigation, image capture, and data transmission capabilities enable faster leak location identification and mitigation implementation, reducing both downtime and economic costs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS12333921B2Unmanned aerial system for autonomous gas leakage detection, quantification, and mitigation

Publication Date: 2025.06.17 SAUDI ARABIAN OIL CO

AI summary

A method for locating and mitigating a gas leak includes receiving gas leak sensory data from one or more gas leak detection sensors disposed on a gas-handling system and further receiving environmental conditions data. The method further includes dispatching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a location upon detecting a gas leak using the one or more gas leak detection sensors and collecting one or more visual images of the gas-handling system using the UAV once it has reached the location. The method further includes determining, using the one or more visual images, the gas leak sensory data, and the environmental conditions data, a gas leak location and identifying components of the gas-handling system impacted by the gas leak given the gas leak location. The method further includes determining a mitigation action and resolving the gas leak by applying the mitigation action.