Robotic Gas Localization System for the FOXIRIS Team Within the ARGOS Challenge

(Apr’15–Apr’17)
Tech. Transfer Project

ARGOS (Autonomous Robot for Gas and Oil Sites) is the first robotics challenge launched by the international oil and gas company Total, in partnership with the French National Research Agency (ANR). The objective is to foster the development of advanced robotic capabilities in oil and gas environments. The program focuses on robot systems which can safely operate in complete or supervised autonomy over the entire onshore or offshore production site, potentially in hazardous explosive atmospheres. This challenge involves 5 teams, from which we colaborate with the one designated as FOXIRIS (Flipper-based Oil and Gas ATEX Intelligent Robotics System).

Our collaboration with the FOXIRIS team is based on the design, development and set-up of a Robotic Gas Localization System (RGLS) for the mobile robotic platform of the consortium. Thus, the project foresees the equipment of a point infrared gas detector for the localization of methane leaks, as well as to provide gas distribution mapping functionality to determine the methane distribution on the site. Furthermore, an alarm and notification system is to be implemented to detect different ranges under the lower explosive limit (LEL). For more information, visit: http://www.argos-challenge.com/

FUNDED BY: GMV Aerospace and Defence S.A.U. (leader of the FOXIRIS team)
PERIOD: April 2015 – April. 2017
PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER: JAVIER GONZÁLEZ-JIMÉNEZ