REMOTE SENSING OF GAS LEAKS

• US 20110133089A1
• Filed: 11/04/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New Era Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Synodon Inc.
• Inventors: Tolton, Boyd T., Miller, Douglas W., Banica, Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 8,198,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/338.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1793 Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3518 Devices using gas filter correlation techniques; Devices using gas pressure modulation techniques

Abstract

A gas filter correlation radiometer mounted on an aircraft is flown over a target area. The gas filter correlation radiometer is configured to detect ethane (C₂H₆) gas in the event of a gas leak. The gas filter correlation radiometer uses background radiation to detect ethane.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A gas filter correlation radiometer, comprising:

a window in a housing;

optics defining a first optical path and a second optical path between the window and a detector section mounted in the housing;

a bi-prism beam splitter comprising a pair of side-by-side prisms mounted transversely in the housing in relation to the first optical path and the second optical path as part of the optics for directing radiation entering the window from an outside source along two divergent paths offset from each other by refraction through the bi-prism beam splitter to divide the radiation between the first optical path and the second optical path;

the first optical path having a first gas path length and the second optical path having a second gas path length, the first gas path length being different from the second gas path length; and

electronics for processing signals produced by the detector section as a result of radiation being directed by the optics onto the detector section.

20. The gas filter correlation radiometer of claim 18 in which the gas filter correlation radiometer is tuned to detect ethane using the ethane absorption peak at 3000 cm⁻

1.

24. The gas filter correlation radiometer of claim 18 in which the first optical path incorporates a gas filter containing ethane.

25. The gas filter correlation radiometer of claim 24 in which the second gas path length is lower than the first gas path length.

28. The gas filter correlation radiometer of claim 18 in which each prism of the side-by-side prisms has a thinner side and a thicker side, the pair of side-by-side prisms being joined along the respective thinner sides.

29. The gas filter correlation radiometer of claim 18 further comprising a source of illumination mounted with the gas filter correlation radiometer on board an aircraft.

19. (canceled)

21. A gas filter correlation radiometer, comprising:

a window in a housing;

optics defining a first optical path and a second optical path between the window and a detector section mounted in the housing;

a beam splitter mounted in the housing as part of the optics for directing radiation entering the window from an outside source to divide the radiation between the first optical path and the second optical path;

the first optical path having a first gas path length and the second optical path having a second gas path length, the first gas path length being different from the second gas path length; and

electronics for processing signals produced by the detector section as a result of radiation being directed by the optics onto the detector section, the gas filter correlation radiometer being tuned to detect ethane using an ethane absorption peak at a bandwidth of at least 2850 to 3075 cm-1.

22. The gas filter correlation radiometer of claim 21 in which the gas filter correlation radiometer is tuned to detect ethane using an ethane absorption peak at a bandwidth up to 150 cm⁻

1 above or below 3000 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

23. The gas filter correlation radiometer of claim 21 in which the gas filter correlation radiometer is tuned to detect ethane using the ethane absorption peak at 2850 to 3075 cm⁻

1 by incorporating a filter in the optics that selects radiation in a passband that includes the ethane absorption peak at 2850 to 3075 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

30. The gas filter correlation radiometer of claim 21 further comprising a source of illumination mounted with the gas filter correlation radiometer on board an aircraft.

26-27. -27. (canceled)