Design of drones for monitoring of volcanic areas

Abstract

Volcanic eruptions are a serious threat to the environment. The volcanic ash can contaminate water, vegetation, livestock and people. The Andes or Andean Mountains are the longest continental mountain range in the world, with a length of 8500 km. and presents different volcanoes [1]. In our work group the gas emissions of the Peteroa volcano are analyzed. In order to assess more accurately the state of a volcanic zone, spatially distributed measurements are required. Consequently, it is necessary to have an unmanned aerial vehicle to obtain several measurement points. An Electronic Nose (eNose) and a quadcopter drone equipped with gas sensors for CO2, temperature and humidity were developed [2][3]. The Dron eNose system provides a versatile technology for autonomous monitoring of diverse environments. The use of this device minimizes the risks of exposure to dangerous compounds for people and allows exploring inaccessible areas. The advantage of this system, over drones sold in the market (provided with proprietary software), lies in the possibility of adding accessories, which gives to it more adaptability. In this work, the complete structure of the quadcopter was manufactured using a 3D printer. To obtain a robust frame, parts were printed with filaments composed of different materials. Motors and propellers were selected according to the drone load capacity, the sensors, the stability control and the teletransmission system. The system is very versatile and different gas sensors can be added such as for detect SO2 and H2S. The flight can be controlled manually by remote control, or autonomously by a programmed flight plan.