REMOTE SENSING FOR DIAGNOSING VAPOR DISPERSION IN SPILLS OF LIQUID ENERGY FUELS

摘要

The measurement of gas concentrations in Liquid Energy Fuel (LEF) disper¬sion clouds by remote LIDAR sensing is an attractive alternative to the use of in situ instruments in regions where the gas concentration level is low. A comparison of Raman and DIAL LIDAR has shown that Raman LIDAR is best suited to measure the concentration levels of interest in the LEF program. The LIDAR systems are limited primarily by the opaque fog produced by the evaporation of a cryogenic liquid fuel. The limitation is most severe for methane, for which LIDAR is not useful for concentrations above the flammability range. However, it is in this low concentration region that the spatial extent of the cloud is large and not easily covered with an array.