The system is comprised of numerous floating methane-capture robots, each equipped with a supporting methane sensor, distributed across the tailings pond. Each robot is designed to move to identified methane hotspots, identified by a SCADA system, and capture gas directly at the source. Each robot is a 3m x 4m floating platform with a moon pool and an embedded drill (to help penetrate through the ice layer during winter) located at the center. Once the robot reaches its designated spot, the moon pool opens, allowing for methane gas to float naturally into the empty space where the gas chamber lies. The captured gas is then transferred through tubing, valves, and a diaphragm pump to an onboard catalytic combustor, where the methane is oxidized in a controlled enclosed system. The boat also includes solar panels mounted on the upper deck, which provide electrical power for onboard electronics, control systems, and battery charging.
We used MATLAB for graphing (including 3D graphings which can be found in the appendix on our report). We also used Excel for other calculations.
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