Design of complementary SWIRMWIR and LWIR instruments for Oil Leak Detection from a Small LEO Satellite

摘要

Current leak detection methods for oil- and water pipeline networks heavily rely on visual (field) observations done in the field, leading to a significant portion of leaks remaining undetected for a considerable amount of time. Even the most advanced (and expensive) ground detection systems are experiencing difficulties detecting these leaks. Detecting the leaks as early and accurately as possible is the key to reduce financial costs, limit the losses of commodity and confine the damages to the environment associated with these leaks. Earth Observation (EO) from space offers the unique advantage as compared to ground based observations by collection of detailed and consistent data for large areas even up to global scale. This makes EO an ideal tool for infrastructures like oil and water distribution networks, which have in common that they span along thousands of kilometers of pipelines. This paper presents two instruments that are specifically tailored to the needs of detecting spills from oil and water pipeline networks from space. The first is a NIR/SWIR/MWIR instrument with a ground sample distance of 20 meter. The second instrument is a LWIR(also known as TIR) instrument with a ground sample distance of 30 meter. For both instruments, the performance is predicted based on radiometric simulations, which is then compared to the needs for detecting spills with the presented characteristics. It is shown that the performance of both instruments is adequate to detect leaks in oil and water pipelines for the defined spill characteristics. The main limitations of the chosen technique are also discussed, which are mainly related to the visible spill size.