Trends and future applications of optical remote sensing and computedtomography to map air contaminants,

摘要

Abstract: More than twenty years have passed since the concept of combining Computed Tomography (CT) and Optical Remote Sensing (ORS) was first suggested to map air contaminants. However, there have been no commercial applications of CT-ORS due to a variety of reasons including hardware limitations and slow acceptance by the occupational and environmental scientific communities. A CT-ORS monitoring system provides the potential for near real-time mapping of multiple gases over large areas. Not just another nifty tool, this technology represents a major departure from conventional sampling methods and could allow us to understand chemical transport and exposure in ways, which are unavailable using conventional methods. Yet critical questions remain unanswered: which contaminant sources are most appropriate for this technology and how does this data apply to human exposure assessment? We discuss potential applications of CT-ORS, such a using open-path Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy for mapping leaks and evaluating worker exposures and quantifying emission flux from a process facility. Large scale (greater than 1 km) CT reconstructions could be obtained from a variety of ORS devices (Tunable Diode Laser, Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy, or Differential Absorption Lidar). Reconstructions could help locate industrial emissions and provide improved estimates of pollutant transport. !29