Projects
Projects: Projects for Investigator |
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| Reference Number | NIA_WWU_045 | |
| Title | Eye In The Sky | |
| Status | Completed | |
| Energy Categories | Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research 100%; | |
| Research Types | Applied Research and Development 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | SOCIAL SCIENCES (Politics and International Studies) 20%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 80%; |
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| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 50%; Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Policy and regulation) 50%; |
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| Principal Investigator |
Project Contact No email address given Wales and West Utilities |
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| Award Type | Network Innovation Allowance | |
| Funding Source | Ofgem | |
| Start Date | 01 January 2018 | |
| End Date | 01 January 2021 | |
| Duration | ENA months | |
| Total Grant Value | £1,854,504 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Energy | |
| Region | Wales | |
| Programme | Network Innovation Allowance | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Project Contact , Wales and West Utilities (99.996%) |
| Other Investigator | Project Contact , Scottish and Southern Energy plc (0.001%) Project Contact , Wales and West Utilities (99.996%) Project Contact , National Grid Gas Transmission (0.001%) Project Contact , Northern Gas Networks (0.001%) Project Contact , Cadent Gas (0.001%) |
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| Industrial Collaborator | Project Contact , Wales and West Utilities (0.000%) |
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| Web Site | https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/NIA_WWU_045 |
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| Objectives | This project aims to establish that BVLOS operations are possible now in most airspace with existing technologies. With the cooperation of Department of Transport (DfT) through the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) and the CAA, a regularised operating framework will be established, specifically for BVLOS linear infrastructure surveys like pipelines or overhead lines. This framework will be designed to embrace future technologies as they are developed but it is anticipated to allow business as usual BVLOS inspection by project completion. The main work streams of the project will be:1. Concept of Operations (CONOPS) development. Categories of drone operation will be developed in order to address specific inspection requirements. To accommodate the variance in CONOPS and to build and demonstrate the safety cases across the greatest number of inspection tasks this project will develop 4 categories of drone CONOPS.2. Development of safety cases. For the 4 CONOPS categories identified, the appropriate safety case will be developed and submitted to the CAA for approval. For example, it is anticipated that hovering drones operating close to electricity towers and overhead lines (OHL) will exploit the presence of this obstacle in one CONOPS as providing shelter since passing manned aircraft must legally keep well clear of these obstacles. However, regular planned vertical photography flights over gas pipeline routes are likely to exploit different safety arguments with more emphasis on de-confliction methodologies with other airspace users.3. Flight trials. Each CONOPS with the safety cases applied will be demonstrated initially in segregated airspace and finally in non-segregated airspace. The demonstration drones will be selected, modified and systems integrated to suit the CONOPS and safety cases that have been developed. The flight trials will provide flight and inspection data. 4. Data analysis. Flight data will be used to confirm that the CONOPS and safety cases are fit for purpose while inspection data analysis will inform the networks of drone BVLOS capabilities and the business benefits case. This research and development project has three distinct phases, each broken down into stages with the following deliverables. Phase 1 (Stages 1-3) Stakeholder Engagements & Trial Inspection in Segregated Airspace (TISA) Phase 2 (Stages 4-7) Trial Inspection in Non-segregated Airspace (TINA) Phase 3 (Stage 8) Enabling regular use of drone BVLOS Inspection In each phase, effort is split into major tasks such as development of CONOPS and safety cases, selection, modification and integration of drone systems and support equipment, alongside regulatory development work and the planning and conduct of BVLOS flight trials around the UK. It is estimated that 100 flights will be undertaken over 50-100 hours of flying time, covering 1,000-2,000 km of linear track and datasets will be disseminated to partners for parallel exploitation along with end of stage reports. To investigate and demonstrate the ability to fly BVLOS in uncontrolled airspace over participants networks with regulatory approval | |
| Abstract | This project aims to establish that BVLOS operations are possible now in most airspace with existing technologies. With the cooperation of Department of Transport (DfT) through the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) and theCivil Aviation Authority (CAA), a regularised operating framework will be established, specifically for BVLOS linear infrastructure surveys like pipelines or overhead lines. This framework will be designed to embrace future technologies as they are developed but it is anticipated to allow business as usual BVLOS inspection by project completion. . | |
| Publications | (none) |
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| Final Report | (none) |
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| Added to Database | 14/12/22 | |
