Instrumentation for Detecting Hazardous Materials

摘要

The status of material sensing technology as it might be applied to the detection and identification of hazardous materials is reviewed. The scope of types of hazards includes toxic, fire, and explosion hazards but not nuclear radiation hazards. A list of 115 materials considered to pose significant hazards in emergency operations is derived. Then both remote and non-remote instrument types are evaluated, with emphasis on their potential application for development of a portable detection instrument. Though no instrument exists now in a form ready to use for the role studied here, several types show promise for future development: a remote passive IR absorption instrument, a non-remote dispersive IR analyzer, and a non-remote portable gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer. A number of instrument types for purposes other than primary identification are also reviewed and comments made on application and future development. An extensive list of references on material sensing technology is included. (Author)