Collision Tolerant Uav Based Remote Sensing For Natech Events Management In Major Hazard Industrial Plants

One of the main problems of NATECH accidents is the simultaneous occurrence of a natural disaster and a technological accident, both of which require simultaneous response efforts in a situation in which lifelines needed for disaster mitigation are likely to be unavailable. In addition, hazardous-materials releases may be triggered from single or multiple sources in one installation or at the same time from several hazardous installations In this paper it is proposed and evaluated the application of multi-rotor drones for NATECH accident emergency management. The system should be composed by a fleet of drones characterized by different levels of performance. The peak performing drone should be equipped with visible and near-infrared sensors, a thermal camera and dedicated sensors for the sensing and monitoring of dangerous substances. The multi-rotor system allow stationary flight inside the industrial plants avoiding the presence of a human operator near hazardous-materials release source. The WiFi connection allows real time data processing and management of the situation. This methodology represent an effective approach to NaTech disasters management and consequences evaluation.