Identifying building leakage with unmanned aerial vehicle assisted background oriented schlieren imaging

ORAL

Abstract

In 2024, air leakage from structures accounted for approximately 4% of the United States' energy budget. Repairing air leakage points in a building can lead to increased energy efficiency, improved indoor air quality, and overall occupant comfort. The background-oriented schlieren (BOS) technique has been used previously to identify leak points, but these measurements have been primarily constrained to the ground. By attaching a high-resolution camera to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and utilizing improved optical flow algorithms, UAV assisted BOS imaging provides three-dimensional freedom when locating air leakage points around a building.

*This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the BENEFIT program with award number DE-EE0010914. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.

Presenters

  • John Ryan Himes

    • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Authors

  • John Ryan Himes

    • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
  • Morgan Lee

    • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
  • Kip Carrico

    • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
  • Frank Austin Mier

    • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology