The AUSEA (Airborne Ultra-light Spectrometer for Environmental Application) project is a collaboration between the GSMA (URCA/CNRS) and TOTAL. It started in 2017, with the aim of developing an innovative tool to act proactively on the inspection of installations and to minimise greenhouse gas emissions emitted by the TOTAL Group's oil sites. We are now halfway through the project and major milestones have been reached:

• Development of a unique instrument in the world weighing less than 1.5 kg to rapidly and precisely measure three gases simultaneously: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and water (H2O).
• Two campaigns which were world firsts by taking measurements with a drone around flares and an oil rig.

In view of these promising results, we will step up the ambitions of this project and in 2020 integrate the instruments developed at GSMA on an autonomous drone platform for site surveillance and monitoring.

To illustrate the purpose of this AUSEA project, TOTAL produced this video which is not so far from the truth.

Due to its innovative nature, AUSEA could have multiple fields of application in the industrial and scientific world in the future. Indeed, it would make it possible to better understand and quantify anthropogenic emissions.

For more information, contact Lilian Joly