Remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) use in construction: a thermography inspection case study

The inspection of buildings with thermographic cameras is a powerful and non-invasive means of monitoring and diagnosing the state of buildings. In the field of energy efficiency, the use of thermography allows detecting insulation defects, humidity detection, location of water leaks, detection of air leaks, among others. The implementation of thermal devices in aircraft facilitates the recognition of the efficiency status of buildings and solves problems that compromise operator safety. However, it is a complex application that requires a step-by-step methodology where all the conditioning factors that can negatively affect the results are collected. This research presents a working methodology to perform energy inspections on roofs using a RPAS (Remotely piloted aircraft system) equipped with a radiometric thermal camera. In the methodology presented were detailed the premises to be taken into account before carrying out an operation of this type, the different stages related to the execution of the flight, the materials used for the acquisition of thermal images and the post-processing techniques to obtain the results of the energetic inspection. The results showed remarkable apparent temperature changes on the roof surface, in special, in the north-west part of the building. Weaknesses related to heat loss were identified in the flat roof borders and the sloping roof ridges. The execution of the inspection demonstrated the viability of using the aerial thermography for monitoring the performance of a building by identifying energy problems in advance, documenting and correcting them before they become worse and more costly to repair.