Methane gas is odorless, colorless, and extremely flammable.  It used throughout the world as a fuel source for homes, factories, businesses, and more.  Though it is a non-toxic gas, it can still cause serious problems because of it’s high rate of combustion and how it can displace oxygen in the environment leading to asphyxiation.  This is one of the reasons why smoke and gas detectors are so important to have in your home.  But there are often situations where having a methane detector is improbable.  In 2010, a methane gas explosion was responsible for the deaths of 29 people at the Upper Big Ranch Coal Mine in West Virginia.  The coal miners were well aware of the presence of the gas, but the change in it’s atmospheric quantities was unknown and ultimately led to the explosion.

Massey Energy who controlled the mine was found guilty of failure to maintain safety standards for monitoring methane gas.  Since this tragedy there have been many developments in workplaces to make sure an accident like that never happens again.  A drone company from Cape Town, South Africa has now designed a drone system to accurately monitor methane gas emission for just this reason.  Airborne Drones was founded in 2013 and specializes in commercial drones.  Their drones are used for search and rescue operations, oil, gas, and pipe line inspections, wildlife and game monitoring, construction, mapping, securities, and more.

With their new methane gas sensor for drones, they are aiming to keep mine and pipe line workers safer than ever.  According to the research pointed out on their website, “Electrochemical detectors are always in direct contact with the gas. They are prone to aging as the measurement principle is based on a chemical reaction depleting the sensor substance. This leads to short life times. This life time decreases when the gas to be measured is present frequently. The response is rarely specific to a single gas, which may lead to costly false alarms. Issues with zero drift for multiple reasons are frequent. Therefore, calibration is necessary in short intervals, which in turn increases the cost-of-ownership for initially low-cost instruments. The sensors are also sensitive to pressure and humidity changes. As the laser gas sensor is an optical detector without direct contact to the gas, it is not at all subject to poisoning or degradation. Humidity and pressure changes around normal atmospheric conditions have no influence. Calibrations are enduring and recovery from high concentrations is instantaneous.”

Airborne’s new sensor is able to detect methane gas from 30 meters away.  The device is perfectly suited to work with any drone platform.  When attached to a drone the sensor can relay safety control data in real time.  It also allows workers to monitor larger areas rapidly, keeping what are often vast worksites safe.  The drone also has the ability to access dangerous and hard to reach spaces like the pipes suspended under a bridge, along busy roadways, or in a mine shaft.  As this methane detector uses lasers, it maintains accuracy even when other environmental factors, like humidity and dust, could otherwise interfere. 

Not only can this system help monitor methane gas leaks, but because these drones are also equipped with high definition cameras they can pinpoint exactly where the leaks are coming from.  If the sensor picks up unsafe levels of methane gas, the camera on the drone can take a visual and thermal snapshot of the area in question.  This data can then be analyzed to locate hairline cracks in need of repair.  While the methane sensor is not an inexpensive devise, it runs around $35,000, it can save companies countless expenses in the long run.  The methane sensor is small and light enough to be supported by any commercial drone.  Airborne has two design options of the sensor.  One that is compatible strictly with their own drones and one that is an open adapter to be used on with any drone platform.