Development of Optical Remote Sensing Protocol for the Measurement of Nonpoint Emission Sources

摘要

No standard protocol exists for making nonpoint source measurements for an air emission flux. An accurate and cost-effective method is needed to quantify nonpoint emission sources. Current estimation techniques for nonpoint sources based on emission factors are imprecise and typically overestimate drastically. Multiple point measurements are locally accurate but may not be representative of the entire plume, and they are expensive in the quantities required. A cooperative effort between the DOD and EPA has recently been initiated to develop and demonstrate a standardized nonpoint source measurement protocol based on path-integrated optical remote sensing (PI-ORS) and computed tomography. The protocol uses multiple beam paths and optimizing algorithms to give a time-averaged, mass-equivalent concentration field across a plume of contaminant, from which the emission rate can be determined, without using estimated values from a dispersion model. The protocol will be refined and demonstrated at multiple DOD sites, and a measurement performance specification for the protocol will be published by the EPA at the conclusion of the project.