Characterization of the particle emission from a ship operating at sea using an unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

Abstract. This research demonstrates the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to characterize the gaseous (CO2) and particle (10–500 nm) emissions of a ship at sea. The field study was part of the research voyage “The Great Barrier Reef as a significant source of climatically relevant aerosol particles” on board the RV Investigator around the Australian Great Barrier Reef. Measurements of the RV Investigator exhaust plume were carried out while the ship was operating at sea, at a steady engine load of 30 %. The UAV system was flown autonomously using several different programmed paths. These incorporated different altitudes and distances behind the ship in order to investigate the optimal position to capture the ship plume. Five flights were performed, providing a total of 27 horizontal transects perpendicular to the ship exhaust plume. Results show that the most appropriate altitude and distance to effectively capture the plume was 25 m a.s.l. and 20 m downwind. Particle number emission factors (EFPNs) were calculated in terms of number of particles emitted (no.) per weight of fuel consumed (kgfuel). Fuel consumption was calculated using the simultaneous measurements of plume CO2 concentration. The calculated EFPN was 7.6±1.4×1015no. kgfuel-1 which is in line with those reported in the literature for ship emissions ranging from 0.2 to 6.2×1016 no. kgfuel-1. This UAV system successfully assessed ship emissions to derive EFPN under real world conditions. This is significant as it provides a novel, relatively inexpensive and accessible way to assess ship EFPN at sea.

In Situ, Rotor-Based Drone Measurement of Wind Vector and Aerosol Concentration in Volcanic Areas

“…Furthermore, the addition of gas and/or particulate matter (PM) sensors on the drone makes it possible to obtain air quality data as well. For example, drones equipped with atmospheric sensors Atmosphere 2021, 12, 376 2 of 16 have been applied to measure the emissions of pollutant sources, such as ship exhaust or open burning [6][7][8]. Aside from these emission point source investigations, the vertical profile of gases and PM concentrations in the atmospheric boundary layer have also been examined via drones [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

On the Ship Particle Number Emission Index: Size‐Resolved Microphysics and Key Controlling Parameters

“…Villa et al. (2019) measured the total EIPN and found an average value of ∼7.6 ± 1.4 × 10 15 no. kg −1 fuel in open waters, while Sinha et al.…”

“…kg −1 fuel (Jonsson et al, 2011;Juwono et al, 2013;Lack et al, 2009Lack et al, , 2011Sinha et al, 2003;Westerlund et al, 2015). Villa et al (2019) measured the total EIPN and found an average value of ∼7.6 ± 1.4 × 10 15 no. kg −1 fuel in open waters, while Sinha et al (2003) reported a value of up to 6.2 ± 0.6 × 10 16 no.…”

Monitoring of compliance with fuel sulfur content regulations through unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) measurements of ship emissions

“…Ship emissions can be divided into land-based Yang et al, 2016), airborne-based Aliabadi et al, 2016), marine-based (Cappa et al, 2014), satellite-based (Ding et al, 2018), and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based (Villa et al, 2019) measurements according to different platforms. Land-based measurements provide continuous observation but are greatly affected by wind speed, wind direction, and the distance between the ship and equipment.…”