Development of an airborne pollution measurement system

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Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Engineering
Department Mechanical Engineering
Author Graehl, Tyson David
Title Development of an airborne pollution measurement system
Date 2011-11
Description The Sky-scan Atmospheric Monitoring Instrument (SAMI) consists of a low pro-fi le, autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that provides a platform for remotely sampling airborne contaminants in real-time over large distances. In this manner, the SAMI may be used to acquire pollutant concentration at various altitudes, relevant, for example, to smokestack emissions, and in high-risk locations where conditions hazardous to humans may exist. The SAMI system employs an innovative miniaturized pollution measurement device that captures discrete gas samples at programmed intervals during flight and records the corresponding pollutant concentration using an on-board data logger. The pollution measurement device integrates seamlessly with the body of the UAV and directly interfaces with the autopilot hardware/software. The pollution measurement device draws/expels gas into/out of the sampling chamber by taking advantage of the pressure drop that naturally occurs over the surface of the aircraft. This eliminates the need for an external pump, thereby aff ording signifi cant weight and cost savings. The present thesis documents the response characteristics of the SAMI system and demonstrates the functionality of the system for the specifi c pollutant carbon monoxide (CO). The potential application is real-time monitoring of air pollution dispersion due to automobile traffic.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Aiborne; Carbon monoxide; Pollution; Sensing; UAV
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name Master of Science
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Tyson David Graehl 2011
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 6,815,839 bytes
Identifier us-etd3,76948
Source Original in Marriott Library Special Collections, TD7.5 2011 .G73
ARK ark:/87278/s6mg847r
Setname ir_etd
ID 194480
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6mg847r