Development of a Firefighting Drone for Constructing Fire-breaks to Suppress Nascent Low-Intensity Fires
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Background and Objectives of the Study
1.2. Study Methodology and Procedures
2. Theoretical Background
2.1. Issues in Wildfire Management and Firebreak Construction
2.2. Case Studies on Fire-Extinguishing Drones
2.3. Investigation of Fire-Extinguishing Ball
2.4. Enhancement of Fire Response Messures Using Cluster Flight System
3. Prototype Development of Fire-Extinguishing Drone
3.1. Demand Survey through Focus Group Interviews
3.2. Verification and Discussion of Practical Scenarios through FGIs
3.3. Development of Prototype Fire-Extinguishing Drone Based on FGIs
4. Field Experiment of Fire-Extinguishing Drone
4.1. Experiment to Test the Accuracy of Fire Extinguisher Deployment (First Experiment)
4.1.1. Accuracy Performance Test and Method of Fire Extinguisher Deployment at Different Altitudes
4.1.2. Experimental Objectives
4.1.3. Experimental Plan
4.1.4. Experimental Results
4.2. Firebreak Construction and Fire Suppression Experiment (Second Experiment)
4.2.1. Experimental Objective
4.2.2. Experimental Plan
4.2.3. Performance Metrics Setup
4.2.4. Experimental Method
4.2.5. Experimental Results
5. Conclusions and Limitations
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
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Introduction | |
1. The Literature Review and Case Studies | Review of the literature and case studies related to the use of fire-extinguisher drones and wildfire firebreak construction. |
2. FGI Expert Survey | - Phase 1: interviews with experts to ascertain the functionality and potential of using fire-extinguisher drones for firebreak construction. - Phase 2: evaluation and review of the design of fire-extinguisher drones. |
3. Equipment Production | Production of a consecutive fire extinguisher deployment module by considering expert opinions. |
4. Experimental Validation | - Experimental tests to determine the accuracy of fire extinguisher deployment and autonomous drone flight to target locations. - Verification of the accuracy of firebreak construction and effectiveness of fire suppression using drones. |
Conclusion | Achievements, limitations, and future research directions. |
Study | Image | Fire Extinguisher Deployment Method/Fire Extinguisher Payload/Status of Experimental Validation |
---|---|---|
Abdel Ilas N. Alshbatat (2018) [16] | - To address the difficulties and risks associated with firefighting in high-rise buildings or mountainous terrains, a safe fire-extinguishing system consisting of six components (drone, robot, firefighting equipment, fire-extinguishing ball, collision-avoidance system, and camera) was proposed. - The system was demonstrated to be suitable for initial fire suppression, and the experimental results proved its ability to operate safely at heights where fire-extinguishing balls can be reloaded while maintaining drone stability. | |
Burchan Aydin et al. (2019) [17] | - The potential utility of fire-extinguishing balls in the proposed firefighting system, which complements the traditional firefighting methods using drones and remote-sensing technology, was examined. - The experimental results demonstrated that small-sized fire-extinguishing balls may not be effective against building fires but they can be effective for suppressing grass fires. | |
Rupali Patil et al. (2020) [18] | - A holder was designed to store fire-extinguishing balls for firefighting purposes. - The holder consisted of a railing system attached to a base plate composed of an acrylic sheet. - Using Arduino and servo motors, the release and blocking of the balls were controlled, while the rails guided the balls, and the barriers released and stopped the balls. | |
Nastaran Reza Nazar Zadeh et al. (2021) [19] | - A system that uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for firefighting was proposed to facilitate quick, efficient access to the top floors of buildings and to improve firefighters’ visual access to affected areas. In this system, fire-extinguishing balls were used to prevent the spread of fire. - This system was based on a newly designed firefighting UAV equipped with a mechanism to shoot and drop fire-extinguishing balls. The UAV was controlled using a 2.4 GHz radio frequency signal and video monitoring controller to operationalize the shooting and dropping mechanism. - This firefighting UAV can be utilized effectively in the early stages of a fire, and its ability to enhance the safety and efficiency of firefighters was demonstrated. |
Professional Firefighter | Drone Engineer | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lee | 68 | Fire Chief | Nam | 54 | Drone Manufacturing Engineer |
Bak | 53 | Wildfire Safety Expert | Bak | 49 | Drone Pilot and Mapping Expert |
Song | 65 | Fire Chief | Lee | 46 | Drone Communication Expert |
Key Issues from Expert Interviews | |
---|---|
Issues Pertaining to Fire-Extinguishing Balls | 1. Fire-extinguishing balls are ineffective for directly suppressing and preventing wildfires because they can collide with terrain features, such as rocks and trees, which can cause them to deviate from their intended drop locations; 2. The currently available fire-extinguishing balls are suitable for small-scale fires or scenarios with low-intensity fires; 3. It is necessary to increase the fire-suppression range of the existing fire-extinguishing balls and reduce their weight; 4. To prevent rolling, fire-extinguishing balls with alternative forms (e.g., hemispherical, cuboid) should be developed. |
Challenges in Constructing Firebreaks | 1. A large fleet of at least several dozen drones is required to construct firebreaks; 2. The use of drones for constructing firebreaks can be beneficial for protecting military facilities, rural villages near fire-prone areas, and cultural heritage sites; 3. From a safety perspective, using drones to construct firebreaks is more effective than using them directly for firefighting; 4. Firebreaks can be constructed easily on flat or low terrains but it is challenging to construct them in mountainous terrains. |
Drone Functionality Improvements | 1. Reconnaissance drones are needed to gather information about fires; 2. Overcoming obstacles related to inter-drone communication at various distances is important; 3. Adequate flight capabilities are required to reach wildfire-affected areas; 4. Autonomous flight capabilities through a GCS are needed; 5. Achieving high GPS positioning accuracy by using real-time kinematics (RTK) is crucial; 6. There is a risk of drone loss or crash owing to updrafts during drone flights over mountainous fire zones; 7. The use of coordinates to set drop points for fire-extinguishing balls and the use of downward-facing cameras are necessary; 8. Accurate information about fire locations and precise targeting of drop points are crucial; 9. Drone specifications must be determined logically by considering the weight and number of fire-extinguishing projectiles. |
Performance Objectives | Performance Indicators | Quantity | Target Value | Average Score | Grade | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inside Box (10) | Outside Box (10) | |||||
Accuracy by Drop Altitude | High altitude (10 m) drop (1 m/s or less) | 2EA | 20 | - | 10 | High |
High altitude (20 m) drop (1 m/s or less) | 2EA | 10 | 8 | 9 | Medium | |
High altitude (30 m) drop (1 m/s or less) | 2EA | 8 | 6 | 7 | Low | |
High altitude (40 m) drop (1 m/s or less) | 2EA | 8 | 8 | 8 | Low | |
High altitude (50 m) drop (1 m/s or less) | 2EA | 8 | 8 | 8 | Low | |
10–50 m | 10EA | 6EA | 4EA | 8.4 |
Performance Indicators | Target Value | Validation Method | Results | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Drop accuracy | Altitude-specific drop tests | On-site evaluation | 80% |
2 | Drone balance during drop | Fixed hovering | On-site evaluation | 100% |
3 | Operation of drop module | Six fire-extinguisher modules | Functioning | 100% |
4 | LTE video transmission | Real-time transmission | On-site evaluation | 100% |
Scenario of Demonstration Experiment | |
---|---|
1 | Fire incident near Ansan-Wastadium Development Area; |
2 | Transmission of fire location and confirmation of drone flight path; |
3 | Although Ansan-Wastadium and the fire location are located along a straight line, the presence of the Central Danwon District Office in between necessitated a route change; |
4 | Confirmation of the risk of fire spreading to nearby residential areas, which necessitated the construction of firebreak lines; |
5 | Inputting drop locations of fire-extinguishing balls using GCS equipment; |
6 | Sequential deployment of two fire-extinguishing drones (drop-type) stationed at Ansan-Wastadium; |
7 | Arrival at the fire scene approximately 2 min later at a distance of 500 m; |
8 | Accurate route navigation and assessment of on-site conditions using the RTK equipment and camera mounted on the drone; |
9 | Upon arrival at the scene, Drone 1 drops six fire-extinguishing balls to establish the first firebreak line; |
10 | Upon arrival at the scene, Drone 2 drops six fire-extinguishing balls to establish the second firebreak line; |
11 | Fire trucks and firefighters present at the scene directly extinguish the ignition point. |
Performance Metric | Performance Result and Target | Basis for Setting Targets | Measurement Formula | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Flight accuracy | Accuracy in reaching the mission location | Flight accuracy with RTK-GPS | Error range within approximately 10 m |
2 | Firebreak construction | Construction of first and second firebreaks | Six fire-extinguishing balls per drone | 3 m × 6EA (1.3 kg) ≒ 18 m firebreak construction |
3 | Approach to fire suppression | Fire suppression through the first firebreak | Verification of remaining fire |
Performance Indicators | Target | Validation Method | Results |
---|---|---|---|
Drop accuracy | Deployment of 12 fire-extinguishing balls along the defense lines (Drone 1: 6 balls/Drone 2: 6 balls) | On-site evaluation | 80% |
Drone balance during deployment | Stable hovering | On-site evaluation | 100% |
Functionality of deployment module | Activation of six fire-extinguishing balls (1st line of defense) | Operational | 100% |
LTE video transmission | Real-time streaming | On-site evaluation | 100% |
RTKs | Accuracy of path | On-site evaluation | 90% |
GCS | Ground control system | On-site evaluation | 100% |
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Share and Cite
Jin, J.; Kim, S.; Moon, J. Development of a Firefighting Drone for Constructing Fire-breaks to Suppress Nascent Low-Intensity Fires. Appl. Sci. 2024, 14, 1652. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14041652
Jin J, Kim S, Moon J. Development of a Firefighting Drone for Constructing Fire-breaks to Suppress Nascent Low-Intensity Fires. Applied Sciences. 2024; 14(4):1652. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14041652
Chicago/Turabian StyleJin, Juan, Seunghan Kim, and Jiwon Moon. 2024. "Development of a Firefighting Drone for Constructing Fire-breaks to Suppress Nascent Low-Intensity Fires" Applied Sciences 14, no. 4: 1652. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14041652
APA StyleJin, J., Kim, S., & Moon, J. (2024). Development of a Firefighting Drone for Constructing Fire-breaks to Suppress Nascent Low-Intensity Fires. Applied Sciences, 14(4), 1652. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14041652