Concept of Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for 3D Investigation of Air Quality in the Atmosphere—Example of Measurements Near a Roadside
A substantial amount of air pollution is emitted from urban sources. Hence, investigating air pollutant dispersion from urban sources is of great importance. The mechanisms influencing air pollutant dispersion also need to be studied thoroughly. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based systems offer grea...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/663 |
| _version_ | 1797501653591523328 |
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| author | Abdul Samad Diego Alvarez Florez Ioannis Chourdakis Ulrich Vogt |
| author_facet | Abdul Samad Diego Alvarez Florez Ioannis Chourdakis Ulrich Vogt |
| author_sort | Abdul Samad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A substantial amount of air pollution is emitted from urban sources. Hence, investigating air pollutant dispersion from urban sources is of great importance. The mechanisms influencing air pollutant dispersion also need to be studied thoroughly. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based systems offer great potential for mobile exploration of air pollutants in the lower atmosphere due to the high maneuverability of multi-rotor UAVs. The aim of this study was to develop an effective UAV system that can perform high-resolution three-dimensional profiling of pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), ultrafine particles (UFP), black carbon (BC), as well as meteorological parameters, including air temperature, relative humidity, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. Different experiments were performed to finalize the positioning of the instruments on the UAV platform so as not to destabilize the drone during flight, even when the wind speed is high and during turbulent flight conditions. Another very crucial question is where to place the air inlet of the measurement devices. In addition, field tests were conducted to evaluate the stability of the UAV platform and the in-flight performance of the sensors. This UAV platform was deployed to perform vertical profiles at the University campus in Stuttgart-Vaihingen and in an area near the campus, close to the federal highway B14. The measurement campaign was performed on three days in February 2021, with a maximum flight height of 120 m above ground. The vertical profiles showed that concentrations were higher on the ground due to the proximity to the source and that high wind speeds assisted pollutant dispersion. The horizontal profiles showed that the pollutant concentrations were higher at the roadside and decreased with increasing distance from the road. In conclusion, this UAV platform represented a low-cost, practical, and reliable method for studying the three-dimensional distribution of pollutants near the source. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:22:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-93bf843545ea4d2e8e5494c17bf4ec8a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:22:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-93bf843545ea4d2e8e5494c17bf4ec8a2023-11-23T10:00:55ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-04-0113566310.3390/atmos13050663Concept of Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for 3D Investigation of Air Quality in the Atmosphere—Example of Measurements Near a RoadsideAbdul Samad0Diego Alvarez Florez1Ioannis Chourdakis2Ulrich Vogt3Department of Flue Gas Cleaning and Air Quality Control, Institute of Combustion and Power Plant Technology (IFK), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 23, 70569 Stuttgart, GermanyDepartment of Flue Gas Cleaning and Air Quality Control, Institute of Combustion and Power Plant Technology (IFK), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 23, 70569 Stuttgart, GermanyDepartment of Flue Gas Cleaning and Air Quality Control, Institute of Combustion and Power Plant Technology (IFK), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 23, 70569 Stuttgart, GermanyDepartment of Flue Gas Cleaning and Air Quality Control, Institute of Combustion and Power Plant Technology (IFK), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 23, 70569 Stuttgart, GermanyA substantial amount of air pollution is emitted from urban sources. Hence, investigating air pollutant dispersion from urban sources is of great importance. The mechanisms influencing air pollutant dispersion also need to be studied thoroughly. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based systems offer great potential for mobile exploration of air pollutants in the lower atmosphere due to the high maneuverability of multi-rotor UAVs. The aim of this study was to develop an effective UAV system that can perform high-resolution three-dimensional profiling of pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), ultrafine particles (UFP), black carbon (BC), as well as meteorological parameters, including air temperature, relative humidity, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. Different experiments were performed to finalize the positioning of the instruments on the UAV platform so as not to destabilize the drone during flight, even when the wind speed is high and during turbulent flight conditions. Another very crucial question is where to place the air inlet of the measurement devices. In addition, field tests were conducted to evaluate the stability of the UAV platform and the in-flight performance of the sensors. This UAV platform was deployed to perform vertical profiles at the University campus in Stuttgart-Vaihingen and in an area near the campus, close to the federal highway B14. The measurement campaign was performed on three days in February 2021, with a maximum flight height of 120 m above ground. The vertical profiles showed that concentrations were higher on the ground due to the proximity to the source and that high wind speeds assisted pollutant dispersion. The horizontal profiles showed that the pollutant concentrations were higher at the roadside and decreased with increasing distance from the road. In conclusion, this UAV platform represented a low-cost, practical, and reliable method for studying the three-dimensional distribution of pollutants near the source.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/663drone measurementsUnmanned Aerial Vehiclevertical profilesair pollution monitoringair quality |
| spellingShingle | Abdul Samad Diego Alvarez Florez Ioannis Chourdakis Ulrich Vogt Concept of Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for 3D Investigation of Air Quality in the Atmosphere—Example of Measurements Near a Roadside Atmosphere drone measurements Unmanned Aerial Vehicle vertical profiles air pollution monitoring air quality |
| title | Concept of Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for 3D Investigation of Air Quality in the Atmosphere—Example of Measurements Near a Roadside |
| title_full | Concept of Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for 3D Investigation of Air Quality in the Atmosphere—Example of Measurements Near a Roadside |
| title_fullStr | Concept of Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for 3D Investigation of Air Quality in the Atmosphere—Example of Measurements Near a Roadside |
| title_full_unstemmed | Concept of Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for 3D Investigation of Air Quality in the Atmosphere—Example of Measurements Near a Roadside |
| title_short | Concept of Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for 3D Investigation of Air Quality in the Atmosphere—Example of Measurements Near a Roadside |
| title_sort | concept of using an unmanned aerial vehicle uav for 3d investigation of air quality in the atmosphere example of measurements near a roadside |
| topic | drone measurements Unmanned Aerial Vehicle vertical profiles air pollution monitoring air quality |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/663 |
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