RESUMEN
In situ monitoring of traffic-generated nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions using long-path absorption spectroscopy is reported. High-sensitivity detection of NO2 is achieved by employing two-tone frequency-modulation spectroscopy at a visible absorption band using a tunable high-power diode laser operated around 635 nm. A real-time absorption spectrometer is accomplished by repetitively applying a rectangular current pulse to the diode-laser operating current, allowing detection of isolated NO2 absorption lines. A detection limit of 10 microg/m3 for NO2 at atmospheric pressure using a 160 m absorption path is demonstrated. Continuous monitoring of NO2 over a road intersection at peak traffic is performed.
RESUMEN
A newly developed optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system has been applied to the monitoring of atomic mercury emissions at several chlor-alkali plants in Europe. The versatility of the system is illustrated by measured time series of mercury flux and movies of vertical and horizontal concentration distributions, which yield important input parameters for the environmental community. Long term measurements of the resonance absorption of mercury at 253.65 nm poses special demands, i.e. long term stability, on the light source that often have been hard to fulfill, in different respects, for standard OPO and dye laser based systems. Here, approaches to meet these demands are presented.
RESUMEN
Gases leaking from a polyethene plant and a cracker plant were visualized with the gas-correlation imaging technique. Ethene escaping from flares due to incomplete or erratic combustion was monitored. A leakage at a high-pressure reactor tank could be found and visualized by scanning the camera system over the industrial site. The image processing methods rely on the information from three simultaneously captured images. A direct and a gas-filtered infrared image are recorded with a split-mirror telescope through a joint band-pass filter. The resulting path-integrated gas concentration image, derived from the two infrared images, is combined with a visible image of the scene. The gas-correlation technique also has the potential to estimate the flux in the gas plume by combining a wind vector map, derived by cross-correlating the images in time, with a calibrated gas path-integrated concentration image. The principles of the technique are outlined and its potential discussed.
RESUMEN
A mobile lidar (light detection and ranging) system for environmental monitoring is described. The optical and electronic systems are housed in a truck with a retractable rooftop transmission and receiving mirror, connected to a 40-cm-diameter vertically looking telescope. Two injection-seeded Nd:YAG lasers are employed in connection with an optical parametric oscillator-optical parametric amplification transmitter, allowing deep-UV to mid-IR wavelengths to be generated. Fast switching that employs piezoelectric drivers allows multiwavelength differential absorption lidar for simultaneous measurements of several spectrally overlapping atmospheric species. The system can also be used in an imaging multispectral laser-induced fluorescence mode on solid targets. Advanced LabVIEW computer control and multivariate data processing render the system versatile for a multitude of measuring tasks. We illustrate the monitoring of industrial atmospheric mercury and hydrocarbon emissions, volcanic sulfur dioxide plume mapping, fluorescence lidar probing of seawater, and multispectral fluorescence imaging of the facades of a historical monument.
RESUMEN
Atmospheric mercury species/fractions were measured near a chlor-alkali plant in Sweden during August 28 to September 4, 2001. The concentration of total gaseous mercury in the plume from the plant was measured using TEKRAN and GARDIS instruments. Gaseous elemental mercury was measured using a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technique. From vertical LIDAR sweeps through the plume from the chlor-alkali plant mercury emission rates could be calculated. The concentrations of reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) in the plume and also inside the cell house were measured using annular KCl coated denuders. The RGM emission constitutes 0.5-1.0% of the total mercury emitted from the plant. The mercury concentration adsorbed on particles was measured as well as the mercury flux from soil. The data presented also include an intercomparison showing an excellent agreement between TEKRAN/GARDIS and LIDAR gaseous mercury measurements.
