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Aerial Ignition Drone

Welcome to the forum :)

Excellent work!! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to seeing more of your work.

Allen
 
Thank you, and excited to be here!

I'm thinking I'll have a new video posted tomorrow so stay tuned. Looking forward to being a part of this community.
 
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Thanks! Yea, I think we dropped roughly 400-600 spheres on that unit. First day was ~315 acres.

And I'm using my phone in selfie mode when I'm in the vehicle, so it records like a reflection in a mirror making it look like a leftie.
 
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The antifreeze is the catalyst that creates the combustion reaction. The plastic ignition spheres are about half full with potassium permanganate, and injected with the antifreeze just before being released (about 0.6mL per injection). Somewhere around 15-30 seconds later, once the sphere is on the ground, the sphere ignites. It's the same system and fuel type that government agencies like the Forest Service and BLM use in helicopters.
 
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It really is. The a full hopper weighs 7.5-10lbs, and it carries it around with ease. Max wind I've flown in is about 15mph, and I felt very comfortable with its performance in that environment.
 
The antifreeze is the catalyst that creates the combustion reaction. The plastic ignition spheres are about half full with potassium permanganate, and injected with the antifreeze just before being released (about 0.6mL per injection). Somewhere around 15-30 seconds later, once the sphere is on the ground, the sphere ignites. It's the same system and fuel type that government agencies like the Forest Service and BLM use in helicopters.


Do they ever get lodged in the trees and ignite up in the canopy? I'd imagine they do but without any dry "fuel" the fire never "catches".

Are the "spheres" about the size of Ping Pong balls?
 
Yes, very similar in size to a ping pong ball.

I haven't noticed the spheres ever getting caught in the canopy. If this were to happen, I think it's so infrequent that you would probably never know. The spherical shape and size of the balls allows them to easily fall to forest floor.
 
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Yes, very similar in size to a ping pong ball.

I haven't noticed the spheres ever getting caught in the canopy. If this were to happen, I think it's so infrequent that you would probably never know. The spherical shape and size of the balls allows them to easily fall to forest floor.

Any chance you can make us a video of a release and ignition? I'm very intrigued :)
 
Sure thing. I'm always needing ideas for new videos. I'll add it to my list--could maybe have something posted in the next couple weeks.
 
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The US Forest Service here in AZ has been using M600Ps this season.

 
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It's kind of hard to make the focus on the spheres during an actual burn--your kind of in the zone and distracted with covering ground.

However, I'll be making a video about this specifically for next weeks upload. Thanks for the feedback everyone.
 
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It's kind of hard to make the focus on the spheres during an actual burn--your kind of in the zone and distracted with covering ground.

However, I'll be making a video about this specifically for next weeks upload. Thanks for the feedback everyone.
Understood. Looking forward to it. Also, for us uninformed, can you briefly explain why these controlled burns are necessary?
 
Understood. Looking forward to it. Also, for us uninformed, can you briefly explain why these controlled burns are necessary?

Burn the existing fuel (brush, debri etc) in a controlled situation before it builds up and ignites in an uncontrolled manner.
 
Of course. A prescribed burn is a carefully planned burn with very specific weather/ground conditions and precautions, and they serve a number of purposes. For one, it reduces an area's fuel load (fuel being grass, shrubs, downed trees, anything with biomass), which is especially important in mixed urban interfaces. This reduction of fuel load can mitigate the severity of wildfire when it occurs. Years of fire suppression can explain why some areas have such a significant fuel load; more fuel creates more volatile wildfire, creating a more dangerous situation for adjacent communities and the firefighters that fight them.

The ecological benefits of fire are significant too, and is one of our primary reasons for providing these services where I work. Some examples are nutrient cycling, combating invasive/non-native plant species, and promotes native forage and habitat improvement. We do a significant amount of habitat restoration for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, an endangered species in the Southeast United states. Suitable habitat relies on periodic burning, so fire can have broad and species specific benefits too.

Here's a great US Forest Service link with more info, for anyone interested:

 

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