Research

An Adaptable Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) Radar For Unmanned Aerial Systems To Detect Oil In Sea Ice

Project Number
1141
Program
Progress Date
04/14/2022
Category
Project Initiation Date
12/18/2020
Performing Activity
Principal Investigator
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
Contracting Agency
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
Contract Award Value
$509,158.00
Estimated Completion Date
11/30/2021
Description

As Arctic ice has receded, exploration and development of oil reserves have increased, thereby requiring an effective strategy to mitigate oil spills. PNNL proposes demonstrating oil detection in and under sea ice via FMCW radar by leveraging recent advancements in commercial subcomponents and systems. Utilizing Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) hardware will address hardware reliability issues and focus work on implementation challenges.
 

Latest progress update

The team designed and built a radar system with processes that operates reliably in arctic temperatures. An experimental setup was built and a workflow was developed to acquire radar data from oil under sea ice. The team successfully collected data and is currently processing the results.

Status
In Progress
Peer Review Status
N/A