UAV for "safe" NaTech Disasters Management and Consequences Evaluation in Major Hazard Industrial Plants

The impact of a natural disaster on a facility storing or processing dangerous substances can result in the release of hazardous materials with possibly severe off-site consequences through toxic-release, fire or explosion scenarios. EU regulation, namely Directive 2012/18/EU, among its new elements explicitly requires the analysis of NaTech (natural hazard triggering technological disasters) hazards. Main issue related to NaTech accidents is the simultaneous occurrence of a natural disaster (i.e. earthquakes, floods and lanslides) and a technological accident, both of which require simultaneous response efforts in a situation in which lifelines needed for disaster mitigation are likely to be unavailable. In addition, hazardous-materials releases may be triggered from single or multiple sources in one installation or at the same time from several hazardous installations in the natural disaster's impact area, requiring emergency-management resources occupied with responding to the natural disaster to be diverted. In this paper it is proposed and evaluated the application of dedicated collision tolerant UAV systems for NaTech accident emergency management. The collision-tolerant drone is designed for the inspection and exploration of the most inaccessible places, allowing to fly in complex, cluttered or indoor spaces. By enabling remote visual inspection in any indoor complex and confined spaces environments, it prevents the need for workers to enter hazardous places or face dangerous situations avoiding at the same time the risk of collisions and injuries. The drone is equipped with a collision tolerant carbon fiber protective frame. The integrated payload is represented by Simultaneous full HD and thermal imagery recording, and adjustable tilt angle with leds for navigation and inspection in dark places. Fast connections and data processing allow real time data processing and management of the situation. This methodology represents an effective approach to NaTech disasters management and consequences evaluation.

Keywords: NaTech, Unmanned aerial vehicles, Major Hazard industrial plant, Emergency management.