Method and apparatus for detection of insoluble sinking pollutants

US4410966A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency · US

Inventors

• Raymond A. Meyer · Thousand Oaks, US
• Larry F. Marx · Bellevue, US
• John E. Brugger · Hightstown, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 8, 1981
• Grant date: Oct 18, 1983
• Expiry date: May 8, 2001

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S15/88
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for locating and mapping a pool of a pollutant (12) in a body of water (11) comprising the steps of scanning the bottom of said body of water with ultrasonic energy using a transducer (10) periodically pulsed to project pulse envelopes of acoustic energy downwardly to the bottom (14) of the body of water and receiving echo returns from the bottom preceded by echo returns from a reflective interface (13) with a pool of pollutant, if present. The presence of an echo return from an interface (13) as a precursor to an echo return from the bottom indicates the presence of the pool of pollutant at the navigational position of the transducer as the process of scanning continues. Locating and marking the perimeter of the pool permits rapid clean up operations to be directed.