IN-SITU MEASUREMENT AND CLASSIFICATION OF OIL POLLUTION

An in situ optical sensing technique is used to measure and classify s uspensions of oil-in-water in the concentration range 0-100 mu L/L. Co rrect classification is shown for concentrations of 10 mu L/L and abov e; the lower detection limit reached to date is 0.3 mu L/L. The sensor system is based on a pipeline mounted nephelometer and artificial neu ral network processor. Experiments conducted on a range of oil suspens ions demonstrate that crude oils may easily be distinguished from exam ples of cutting and lubrication oils. The technology is simple, robust , and could be deployed in a wide range of environmental monitoring ap plications.