Lightweight mid-infrared methane sensor for unmanned aerial systems

Golston, Levi M.; Tao, Lei; Brosy, Caroline; Schäfer, Klaus; Wolf, Benjamin; McSpiritt, James; Buchholz, Bernhard; Caulton, D.; Pan, Da; Zondlo, M. A.; Yoel, David; Kunstmann, Harald; McGregor, Marty

doi:10.1007/s00340-017-6735-6

Cited by 47 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…While UAVs are not yet established within LDAR, they may overcome some of the challenges they face. The development of cheap and lightweight sensors is underway (Patel 2017), including DIAL for volatile organic compounds (Gardi et al 2017), UAV-equipped spectrometers (Tao et al 2015), and other high-precision sensors (Golston et al 2017). Relaxing line-of-site regulations, improving battery life and aerodynamics, and developing solar-powered UAVs (Malaver et al 2015, Rojas et al 2015 may allow longer campaigns.…”

Section: Unmanned Aerial Vehiclesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of close-range and screening technologies for mitigating fugitive methane emissions in upstream oil and gas

Fox

Barchyn

Risk

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Fugitive methane emissions from the oil and gas industry are targeted using leak detection and repair (LDAR) programs. Until recently, only a limited number of measurement standards have been permitted by most regulators, with emphasis on close-range methods (e.g. Method-21, optical gas imaging). Although close-range methods are essential for source identification, they can be labor-intensive. To improve LDAR efficiency, there has been a policy shift in Canada and the United States towards incorporating alternative technologies. However, the suitability of these technologies for LDAR remains unclear. In this paper, we systematically review and compare six technology classes for use in LDAR: handheld instruments, fixed sensors, mobile ground labs (MGLs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aircraft, and satellites. These technologies encompass broad spatial and temporal scales of measurement. Minimum detection limits for technology classes range from <1 g h−1 for Method 21 instruments to 7.1 × 106 g h−1 for the GOSAT satellite, and uncertainties are poorly constrained. To leverage the diverse capabilities of these technologies, we introduce a hybrid screening-confirmation approach to LDAR called a comprehensive monitoring program. Here, a screening technology is used to rapidly tag high-emitting sites to direct close-range source identification. Currently, fixed sensors, MGLs, UAVs, and aircraft could be used as screening technologies, but their performances must be evaluated under a range of environmental and operational conditions to better constrain detection effectiveness. Methane-sensing satellites are improving rapidly and may soon be ready for facility-scale screening. We conclude with a speculative discussion of the future of LDAR, touching on integration, analytics, incentivization, and regulatory pathways.

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Section: Unmanned Aerial Vehiclesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of close-range and screening technologies for mitigating fugitive methane emissions in upstream oil and gas

Fox

Barchyn

Risk

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…Under stable atmospheric conditions during the night and in the early morning hours, the near-surface methane concentration is enhanced, as no vertical mixing is possible, e.g. Emeis (2008);Brosy et al (2017). 30 With a local methane source, the near-surface methane concentration above agricultural land therefore increases during stable atmospheric conditions (Wolf et al, 2017), as this prevents dilusion with the free troposphere.…”

Section: Plausibility Of the Observed Isotopic Signaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…30 With a local methane source, the near-surface methane concentration above agricultural land therefore increases during stable atmospheric conditions (Wolf et al, 2017), as this prevents dilusion with the free troposphere. However, a high local horizontal inhomogeneity in methane concentrations resulting from mixed-use areas have been reported, an effect which is visible in the lowermost 10 m above the surface, but smeared out above due to an increase in horizontal wind speed (Wolf et al, 2017). A high variability of methane sources is in agreement with the highly variable methane water concentrations measured within a radius of 100 m on 5 September 2018.…”

Section: Plausibility Of the Observed Isotopic Signaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…First applications of measuring the methane concentration with UAS have been demonstrated: The air sampling inlet integrated into multirotor systems is either directly connected to the ground-based methane analyser via a sampling line (Brosy et al, 2017), or the air is stored in a tubing, which is analysed after the flight with a cavity ring down spectrometer (Andersen et al, 2018). The limiting element for both techniques is the length and weight of the sampling line or tube, and sampling altitudes up to 50 m have been published 5 (Brosy et al, 2017;Wolf et al, 2017;Andersen et al, 2018). An air sampling concept based on filling evacuated stainless steel containers by remotely opening a valve and subsequent chemical analyses of trace gases and first applications on multicopter systems have been shown (Chang et al, 2016(Chang et al, , 2018.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Studying boundary layer methane isotopy and vertical mixing processes at a rewetted peatland site by unmanned aircraft system

Lampert¹,

Pätzold²,

Asmussen³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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A proof of concept study was performed to demonstrate the capabilities of quadrocopter air sampling for analysing the methane isotopic composition in the laboratory. Boundary layer mixing processes and the methane isotopic composition were studied with a quadrocopter system at Polder Zarnekow in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania in the North East of Germany, which has become a strong source of biogenically produced methane after rewetting the drained and degraded peatland. Methane 5 fluxes are measured continuously at the site. They show high emissions from May to September, and a strong diurnal variability with maximum methane fluxes up to 2 µmol m −2 s −1 for summer 2018. For two case studies on 23 May 2018 and 5 September 2018, vertical profiles of temperature and humidity were recorded up to an altitude of 650 m and 1000 m, respectively, during the morning transition. Air samples were taken at different altitudes and analysed in the laboratory for methane isotopic composition. The values showed a different isotopic signature in the vertical distribution during stable conditions in 10 the morning (-51.5 ‰ below the temperature inversion at an altitude of 150 m on 23 May 2018 and at an altitude of 50 m on 5 September 2018, -50.1 ‰ above). After the onset of turbulent mixing, the isotopic signature was the same throughout the vertical column with a mean value of -49.9 ± 0.45 ‰. During the September study, water samples were analysed as well for methane concentration and isotopic composition in order to provide a link between surface and atmosphere. The water samples reveal high variability on scales of few 10 m for this particular case. The airborne sampling system and consecutive analysis 15 chain were shown to provide reliable and reproducible results for two samples obtained simultaneously. The method presents a powerful tool for constraining the origin of methane by analysing its isotopic signature, and for measuring the vertical distribution of methane isotopic signature, which is based on mixing processes of methane within the atmospheric boundary layer.

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“…This is particularly useful for the simultaneous measurement of spectral absorption fingerprints for a wide range of molecular compounds. The infrared atmospheric window between 3-5.5 µm exhibits reduced atmospheric attenuation while demonstrating strong absorption coefficients for greenhouse gases and pollutants such as methane, ethane, carbon dioxide, and formaldehyde [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9], making this spectral range useful for climate research and atmospheric monitoring. Further, the same spectral window contains important molecular structure information pertaining to the C-H and O-H functional groups which can be used in the characterization of complex biochemical molecules [10,11] and spectro-imaging of biological samples [12,13].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mid-Infrared Frequency Comb Generation and Spectroscopy with Few-Cycle Pulses and χ(2) Nonlinear Optics

et al. 2020

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Mid-infrared laser frequency combs are compelling sources for precise and sensitive metrology with applications in molecular spectroscopy and spectro-imaging. The infrared atmospheric window between 3-5.5 µm in particular provides vital information regarding molecular composition. Using a robust, fiber-optic source of few-cycle pulses in the near-infrared, we experimentally demonstrate ultra-broad bandwidth nonlinear phenomena including harmonic and difference frequency generation in a single pass through periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN). These χ (2) nonlinear optical processes result in the generation of frequency combs across the mid-infrared atmospheric window which we employ for dual-comb spectroscopy of acetone and carbonyl sulfide with resolution as high as 0.003 cm −1 . Moreover, cascaded χ (2) nonlinearities in the same PPLN directly provide the carrier-envelope offset frequency of the near-infrared driving pulse train in a compact geometry.Coherent laser sources in the mid-infrared (MIR, 3-25 µm) have long been recognized as important tools for both fundamental and applied spectroscopy and sensing. Recently, significant interest has focused on developing laser frequency combs in the MIR spectral region [1]. Of many promising applications, molecular spectroscopy using optical frequency combs benefits from a unique combination of high spectral resolution and broad bandwidth. This is particularly useful for the simultaneous measurement of spectral absorption fingerprints for a wide range of molecular compounds. The infrared atmospheric window between 3-5.5 µm exhibits reduced atmospheric attenuation while demonstrating strong absorption coefficients for greenhouse gases and pollutants such as methane, ethane, carbon dioxide, and formaldehyde [2-9], making this spectral range useful for climate research and atmospheric monitoring. Further, the same spectral window contains important molecular structure information pertaining to the C-H and O-H functional groups which can be used in the characterization of complex biochemical molecules [10,11] and spectro-imaging of biological samples [12,13].Based on these motivations, multiple approaches to MIR frequency comb generation have been pursued. Examples include optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) [14][15][16][17][18], supercontinuum generation [19][20][21][22], difference frequency generation (DFG) [23][24][25][26], direct generation with quantum cascade lasers (QCL) [27][28][29], mode-locked fiber lasers [30][31][32], and microresonator frequency combs [33]. Despite significant progress, many of these frequency comb sources require additional resonant cavities (OPOs) or careful spatio-temporal alignment of two femtosecond pulses (DFG) that increases complexity. Others lack absolute frequency calibration and have large modespacings (microresonator combs and QCLs) that are mis-matched to the spectroscopy of small molecules.In this Letter, we introduce a simple and powerful method for generating frequency combs across the MIR atmospheric window using int...

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Lightweight mid-infrared methane sensor for unmanned aerial systems

Cited by 47 publications

References 26 publications

A review of close-range and screening technologies for mitigating fugitive methane emissions in upstream oil and gas

A review of close-range and screening technologies for mitigating fugitive methane emissions in upstream oil and gas

Studying boundary layer methane isotopy and vertical mixing processes at a rewetted peatland site by unmanned aircraft system

Mid-Infrared Frequency Comb Generation and Spectroscopy with Few-Cycle Pulses and χ(2) Nonlinear Optics

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