Presentation
A Long-Range Fluorescense-Based Optical Detector for Oil Spills
DescriptionThe goal of this project was to develop an optical system that can be attached to the platform of an oil rig to detect oil spills in real time, day and night. To do this, InterOcean Systems, LLC and San Diego State University have joined forces in a collaborative corporate-academic partnership. Spanning research groups in physics, chemistry, engineering and marketing, the combined team has been developing an optical system designed to detect oil spills from a height of 60 meters. The system is based on ultraviolet (UV) induced fluorescence detection, a proven and reliable approach to detect various crude oil and derivative petroleum products. In such a system, UV light is absorbed by oil, which subsequently fluoresces at a different wavelength. By careful spectral tailoring of both the UV illumination and the detection window, oil contaminants are readily identified with low false-alarm rates. Recent advances in ultraviolet light emitting diodes have allowed for shorter-wavelength, higher-power products to be commercially available at reasonable prices for the first time. Such an LED forms the heart of our optical system, and to achieve a working distance of 60 meters, we iteratively experimented with various telescope designs. Advanced optical system design software was used to virtually design and test the optical system, thereby determining optimal components and explicit positioning of optics to achieve the desired outcome. Using this software and subsequent experimental measurements, the optical system is currently able to focus a UV LED into a one square meter spot at a working distance of 60 meters. This UV spot stimulates fluorescence from oil, which is similarly detected with a telescope, also at 60 meters and using a similar optical design. This combined system was designed to consider operation in rugged and complex oceanic environment, with sunlight as background ambient lighting. Careful consideration was given to both the optical and electronic elements for reliability and ruggedness in the harshest of climates. We have tested this novel telescope with a broad range of oil samples in both dark and bright (sunshine) environments. The system has positively detected oils from this distance under a variety of conditions, and with impressive signal to noise, which indicates a market-ready product is within reach. In this talk we will identify the critical scientific underpinnings of this approach, outline the key design features of our prototype, and present our most recent results.
Event Type
Paper
TimeThursday, May 16th10:40am - 11:00am CDT
Location298-299
Remediation