IERAX – Aerial Surveillance and Measurement of Vessel Emissions Around Ports

Using unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring emissions of hazardous gases from ships with the aim of ensuring compliance with European and International environmental regulations.

According to European environmental protection legislation and in accordance with agreements among member states of various associations (Paris MoU, etc.), a minimum percentage of inspections/control on ships is mandated, aiming to combat the effects of atmospheric pollution. One of the most effective methods of remote emissions control from ships is aerial monitoring. This allows the assessment of the concentration of emissions from ships without requiring the inspector to board the vessel, using portable sensors wirelessly connected to a sampling and measurement processing control system.

The IERAX project aims to develop new portable Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) equipped with sensors for monitoring gas emissions and environmental conditions. This will be achieved through the creation of effective aerial emission monitoring systems and new high-spatial-resolution networks incorporating autonomous target approach technologies and achieving optimal sampling conditions. Additionally, the project focuses on the development of integrated recording and processing systems for atmospheric pollution from specific sources (ships), producing clear indicators for compliance monitoring with international and European environmental regulations.

To achieve the above objectives, the project will examine and analyze the effectiveness of various existing techniques for monitoring ship gas emissions, as well as the procedures stipulated for the enforcement of European environmental regulations in shipping. It will design and develop methods and infrastructure for estimating concentrations of primarily sulfur oxides but also other pollutants (CO2 and NOx) from ships in port or at sea, using real-time measurements from autonomous UAS. The aim is to utilize this data within the framework of implementing European and International Legislation to limit environmental pollution from shipping. Monitoring will be achieved through next-generation measurement techniques for tracking ships emissions, utilizing new telemetry systems and mission planning of UAS for adaptive execution of air analysis measurements (autonomously). The project will include experimental evaluation of the prototype that will be constructed.

UniWA Project Team:

• Charalampos Z. Patrikakis, Professor, Director of “Computer Networks & Services Research laboratory – CoNSeRT”, University of West Attica, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
• Orphanoudakis Theofanis, Associate Professor, Hellenic Open University
• Kogias G. Dimitrios, Senior Researcher, University of West Attica, Department of Industrial Design and Production Engineering
• Phanariotis Anastasios, MSc

Project Participants:

1. Arpedon P.C. (Coordinator)
2. University of West Attica:
   • Computer Networks & Services Research laboratory – CoNSeRT
   • Laboratory of Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Systems - LCIIS
3. National Technical University of Athens:
   
   • Laboratory of Heterogeneous Mixtures & Combustion Systems - HMCS
   • NTUA Laboratory of Internal Combustion Engines

Research Publications:

[1] T. Karachalios, P. Moschos, and T. Orphanoudakis, “Maritime Emission Monitoring: Development and testing of a UAV-based real-time Wind Sensing Mission Planner module,” Sensors, vol. 24, no. 3, p. 950, Feb. 2024. doi:10.3390/s24030950