The sensor called Open Path Laser Spectrometer (OPLS) is able to detect methane in parts per*billion*by volume. As it is small enough to be taken to Mars, guys at NASA decided to give it a try on Earth and they mounted the sensor to a quadcopter.
The first tests proved that it can be a useful tool to monitor gas pipelines.*Methane leaks have been a big problem for the natural gas industry, which employs teams of inspectors to manually examine pipelines searching for leakages. The new tool can allow to significantly optimise*the process and better manage gas emissions to the atmosphere. The sensors could be also used in coal mines where methane is a cause of practically all major accidents.
The*quadcopter-based tests*are still ongoing but the project will also carry out flight tests of fixed-wing drones, which can fly faster and further.*“These tests mark the latest chapter in the development of what we believe will eventually be a universal methane monitoring system for detecting fugitive natural-gas emissions and contributing to studies of climate change,” says Lance Christensen, OPLS principal investigator at NASA.
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