Firefighting Drones - A Safer & Efficient Technology to Confront Industrial Fires

Abstract

This paper presents the variety of possibilities that this new technology can offer and how we can apply those technologies to optimize our HSE and take preventive measures that will be economically and humane solutions to crises. New technology, including Artificial Intelligence & Robots, does not necessarily mean it will replace human jobs and human judgment but will be used as tools to minimize hazards in critical situations and helps to solve the problems in a faster and efficient way. The recommended technology to fight fire in hazardous zones can be described as a “firefighting drone.” This drone can be considered a faster and safer approach for fire suppression that can respond to any fire alarms and fly in narrow places inside the live plant, crude oil storage tanks, and navigate quickly to exact fire location without any fear of crashing it to anything and eliminates the risk of reaching high rise buildings where it is not secured and has low visibility. One such method is a firefighting drone that carries fire extinguisher balls, where it mainly consists of dry powders that contain melamine phosphate as an extinguishing component. This extinguishing ball works as a fire auto hydrant that is attached to the drone. This mechanism helps the drone carry the fire extinguisher balls to any place and throw the ball into the fire to suppress it. The main advantage of such fire extinguisher balls is its lightweight comparing to water, and it is environmentally safe and harmless to the human body if used in hazardous zones such as oil and gas plants. Studies show that fire extinguisher balls have high extinguishing effectiveness and serve a wide range of applications. Results show that around 0.5 kg ball size has the ability to extinguish a 1-meter radius. This paper explains how easy its to build such a drone. However, due to the nature of this application using thermal resistance material is a must, and utilizing Artificial Intelligence will enhance the drone capabilities & will help to improve firefighting methodology. This type of drone is designed to be used in very high-temperature conditions and can be controlled safely from a ground station manually where you can see the fire location and assess the situation without the need to be there and wait for the fire team's presence. With the use of the new lightweight fire extinguish ball, we can enhance the typical current firefighting method for small and medium-scale fire, where it puts out the fire faster & help us prevent it from growing to a more significant fire. The ultimate goal of this drone is to save the life of firefighters, plants, and equipment. Since the oil and gas industry is of high importance in the UAE, using proper and enhanced HSE measures will maintain our assets and avoid crises that will have a massive impact on business continuity.