Use of unmanned aerial systems for assessing the dynamics of hazardous engineering and geocryological processes on linear facilities

Abstract

Linear engineering facilities, such as gas transportation systems, extend from 30 to 500 metres in width and several hundred kilometres in length. Such routes pass through areas characterized by sufficiently diverse engineering, geological, geocryological and seismotectonic conditions. The safe and reliable functioning of gas transportation systems is ensured by their regular monitoring to prevent the development of hazardous exogenous geological processes. In particular, when monitoring ice formation, the greatest efficiency can be achieved by using unmanned aerial vehicles for low-altitude aerial surveys. In this research, remote sensing methods based on unmanned technologies were applied to assess the aufeis hazard in a section of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline in South Yakutia. The authors’ successful experience of using unmanned systems during an aeromagnetic exploration of iron ore deposits in South Yakutia was also considered. A series of studies, including georadar and electrical exploration profiling, as well as thermal imaging and high-resolution aerial photography by an aerial complex, was conducted to assess the dynamics of ice development over time in the area under study and to establish the signs of a developing hazardous process.

The use of unmanned aerial photography for interpreting the technogenic transformation of the natural environment during the oilfield operation

“…Space imaging with panchromatic and multispectral cameras makes it possible to identify oilfield infrastructure facilities [10], wood cutting areas [11], soil subsidence areas [12], relatively large oil spills [13][14][15], and to evaluate vegetation dynamics using the available long-term image archives [16]. Aerial photography in panchromatic mode also makes it possible to record facilities of the oilfield infrastructure, spills, cuttings [17], and monitor the integrity of pipelines [18]. In this case, the accuracy increases, and the areal detection threshold decreases.…”