Friday, June 3, 2022
UNH, Durham (NH), CRREL, Hanover (NH), and Oliktok (AK)
Thermal Sensing of Oil in Ice - Research
This is a multi-phase project in partnership with USCG Research & Development Center, NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration, and Alaska's Oil Spill Recovery Institute.
CRREL (Phase 1)
The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration executed an experiment on remote sensing of fresh (non-emulsified) and emulsified oil in ice at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). Multispectral sensors mounted on an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) identified different levels of oil thickness and differentiated between emulsified and non-emulsified oil under simulated Arctic conditions. Non-linear thermal imagery was able to segment and classify areas of ice cover. A multispectral sensor differentiated emulsions between 10 µm and 50 µm. Apparent temperature measurements could be converted to oil thickness over the range of 50 µm to 5,000 µm using a logarithmic function. The minimum detection limit of the thermal sensor for the oil was between 50 µm and 100 µm. Acoustic sensors on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) were shown to perform well with measuring thicker oil slicks (greater than 1,000 µm). The experiments provide a foundation for futher research to implement a processing routine that can be applied to field operations to detect ice cover and oil thicknesses under different environmental conditions and ice densities.
UAS Characterization of Oil in Ice Volume 1: Laboratory Results Final Report
UNH (Phase 1b)
This “field” experiment will offer baseline data in preparation for Phase 2 of this testing, which will be conducted on the North Slope of Alaska (Oliktok) in late May as ice begins to break up in the Arctic Ocean. These experiments are created to determine the location (by thermal sensor, camera and drone usage) of spilled oiled if/when a spill occurs in ice-infested waters.
CRRC will set up an array of black plastic (restaurant-size) totes inside a fenced area measuring 13 ft by 13 ft. A scissor lift, that CRRC has rented from United Rentals, will arrive at the test site on Monday morning March 28 and be removed on or before Monday April 4, 2022, after the completion of the experiments. The ground will be covered by a poly tarp so that the totes and their contents are not in contact with the pasture’s soil. The lift will be placed on level ground and will not exceed a high of 35 ft at any time. The lift will not be raised if the wind speed measured on site exceeds 15 mph. The CRRC will use well water from a hose provided by the farm and will have access to electricity using a CRRC supplied extension cord. The fencing will be provided by the farm and the covering on the fencing will be provided by CRRC. CRRC will provide and deploy a “pop-up” canopy to cover equipment in the case of rain.
The experimental set-up will include affixing three sensors to the top of the lift and raising them to a maximum height of 35 ft above the ground. The sensors will be positioned so that they can collect data from a set of 20 plastic totes containing very small amounts of oil or diesel fuel (maximum total volume used = 3 L). Each tote will also contain approximately 5 gal of well water and 6 disks of freshwater ice each 6.5 inches in diameter.
Ice will be added as needed to maintain approximately 50% ice coverage of the surface. Data collection will continue 24 hours per day until three day/night cycles are collected of data are collected or Friday afternoon April 1, 2022, whichever occurs first.
OLIKTOK (NORTH SLOPE OF ALASKA) (Phase 2)
Objectives:
1) Refine and expand the ability to use UAS platforms with thermal and multispectral sensors to detect, characterize, and map surface oil thickness in ice infested waters, building upon findings from Phase 1 CRREL experiments.
- An array of totes containing a range of oil thicknesses (0 to 5,000 um) of ANS and marine diesel, without (0%) and with (50%) ice cover will be used over the course of 3-4 days on the north slope of Alaska.
2) Use this information to support predictions of surface oil volume estimate
- Refine the algorithms developed during Phase 1 to estimate oil volumes with the controlled tote arrays.
3) Develop faster workflows to allow for production of mapping and other data products that can support response and assessment activities. This includes use in the common operational picture Emergency Response Management Application (ERMA) and the Data Integration Visualization Exploration and Reporting (DIVER) tool.Optimize workflow to improve delivery time of data and related products.
4) Develop more standardized procedures, including calibration for UAS and remote sensing technology for detection of oil in Arctic waters (including shore-based and vessel-based conditions).
5) Consider UAS specifications and procedures needed to withstand and operate in cold weather environments from USCG vessels and from shore-based operations (Note: This will be primarily the focus of the mission aboard a USCG vessel in the Arctic during summer 2022).
Video overview of the remote sensing oil in ice experiment held in Oliktok, AK, (1hour)
