Ground Robotic Oil Spill Surveillance (Gross) System for Early Detectionof Oil Spills from Crude Oil Pipelines

Crude oil spills have negative impacts on the environment, health, society and economy. Prompt detection of oil spills would lead to swift remediation, improvement in national economy, and a reduction in the damage to the environment. The Ground Robotic Oil Spill Surveillance (GROSS) System is a novel system for early detection of oil spills using small mobile robots. A single GROSS unit is a mechanized robot employed to patrol beside designated pipelines. A Global Positioning System (GPS) is used for autonomous navigation, an ultrasonic sensor for avoiding obstacles, and gas sensors for spill detection. Once a spill is detected, an integrated camera module is used to take pictures of the oil spill site. Using Xbee radios, spill images and GPS location are transferred wirelessly to a computer in the base station to enable surveillance teams initiate established containment protocols. The GROSS system has been successfully tested on an underground crude oil pipeline at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources. The system’s ability to provide continuous surveillance along crude oil pipelines and wireless transmission of spill GPS location and images gives it the ability to detect oil spills quickly and ensure prompt response by surveillance teams.