Scanning IR sensor for gas safety and emissions monitoring
US10190976B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 16, 2018 |
| Grant date | Jan 29, 2019 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 16, 2038 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2021/3531
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for rapidly detecting, localizing, imaging, and quantifying leaks of natural gas and other hydrocarbon and greenhouse gases. Scanning sensors, scan patterns, and data processing algorithms enable monitoring a site to rapidly detect, localize, image, and quantify amounts and rates of hydrocarbon leaks. Multispectral short-wave infrared detectors sense non-thermal infrared radiation from natural solar or artificial illumination sources by differential absorption spectroscopy. A multispectral sensor is scanned to envelop an area of interest, detect the presence and location of a leak, and raster scan the area around the leak to create an image of the leak. The resulting absorption image related to differential spectral optical depth is color mapped to render the degree of gas absorption across the scene. Analysis of this optical depth image, with factors including known inline pressures and/or surface wind speed measurements, enable estimation of the leak rate, i.e., emission mass flux of gas.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.