OPEN-PATH UV FOURIER-TRANSFORM GAS MONITOR WITH NO MOVING PARTS

New legislation requiring the monitoring and reduction of polluting ga ses in both Europe and the USA has increased the demand for reliable a nd affordable open-path monitoring systems, suitable for hazardous are a operation. We report on the research and development of a UV Fourier -transform spectrometer-based :system for open-path monitoring of both hazardous and environmental gases. The device has no moving parts and is designed for unattended operation. Laboratory tests have successfu lly detected the presence of and differentiated between SO2 and H2S pr esent in a 1 m test cell down to 1.0 ppm.m levels. The real-time respo nse of the system allows for the use of maximum entropy modelling to p redict the size and location of a gas leak. Initial field tests with o pen-air gas releases of SO2 and H2S have verified this. The multiple-g as feature of the instrument allows for additional possible applicatio ns with regards to environmental monitoring.