Open-Path Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy for Acquisition of Fugitive Emission Flux Data

Air pollutant emission from unconfined sources is an increasingly important environmental issue. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a ground-based optical remote-sensing method that enables direct measurement of fugitive emission flux from large area sources. Open-path Four...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995) 2005-05, Vol.55 (5), p.658-668
Main Authors: Thoma, Eben D., Shores, Richard C., Thompson, Edgar L., Harris, D. Bruce, Thorneloe, Susan A., Varma, Ravi M., Hashmonay, Ram A., Modrak, Mark T., Natschke, David F., Gamble, Heather A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollutants - analysis
Ammonia - analysis
Applied sciences
Atmospheric pollution
Emissions testing
Environmental monitoring
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Exact sciences and technology
Global environmental pollution
Hazardous air pollutants
Lasers
Methane - analysis
Pollution
Remote sensing systems
Sensitivity and Specificity
Spectrum Analysis
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Summary:Air pollutant emission from unconfined sources is an increasingly important environmental issue. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a ground-based optical remote-sensing method that enables direct measurement of fugitive emission flux from large area sources. Open-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (OP-FTIR) has been the primary technique for acquisition of pollutant concentration data used in this emission measurement method. For a number of environmentally important compounds, such as ammonia and methane, open-path tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (OP-TDLAS) is shown to be a viable alternative to Fourier transform spectroscopy for pollutant concentration measurements. Near-IR diode laser spectroscopy systems offer significant operational and cost advantages over Fourier transform instruments enabling more efficient implementation of the measurement strategy. This article reviews the EPA's fugitive emission measurement method and describes its multipath tunable diode laser instrument. Validation testing of the system is discussed. OP-TDLAS versus OPFTIR correlation testing results for ammonia (R 2 = 0.980) and methane (R 2 = 0.991) are reported. Two example applications of tunable diode laser-based fugitive emission measurements are presented.
ISSN:1096-2247
2162-2906
DOI:10.1080/10473289.2005.10464654