HIGH-SENSITIVITY GAS-MAPPING 3D IMAGER AND METHOD OF OPERATION

摘要

Measurement apparatuses and methods are disclosed for generating high-precision and -accuracy gas concentration maps that can be overlaid with 3D topographic images by rapidly scanning one or several modulated laser beams with a spatially-encoded transmitter over a scene to build-up imagery. Independent measurements of the topographic target distance and path-integrated gas concentration are combined to yield a map of the path-averaged concentration between the sensor and each point in the image. This type of image is particularly useful for finding localized regions of elevated (or anomalous) gas concentration making it ideal for large-area leak detection and quantification applications including: oil and gas pipeline monitoring, chemical processing facility monitoring, and environmental monitoring.

主权项

1. A measurement system configured to precisely and accurately measure spatially-encoded, gas absorption measurements, comprising:
a wavelength modulation spectroscopy portion configured to measure a gas absorption of laser light over a distance to a surface; a spatially-scanning transmitter configured to transmit laser light used for wavelength modulation spectroscopy in a prescribed direction; an encoder configured to measure a direction of transmitted laser light used for the wavelength modulation spectroscopy; and a processor configured to process concurrent transmitter encoder and gas absorption measurements and to assign a direction of transmitted laser light to a gas absorption measurement from the wavelength modulation spectroscopy portion to enable the creation of spatially mapped gas absorption imagery.