Monitoring of LNG Vapors - Phase I.
Abstract
This report documents the development and subsequent field testing of two rapid response instruments for the detection of methane gas in the vapor resulting from an LNG spill. The instruments were: a laser instrument with a 0.005 second response time and 0.1% sensitivity, and a two-band differential radiometer (TBDR) with a 0.15 second response time and 1% sensitivity. A thermistor sensor was also developed for the rapid (0.2 second) measurement of vapor temperature. The implementation of this instrumentation for Spill Tests LNG-18, LNG-19, LNG-20 and LNG-21 at China Lake, California is also described in this report. Some comparisons were made between the JPL measurements and those of other organizations involved in the China Lake test program. Good correlation was found, for example, between the laser methane measurement and that of a nearby sensor during LNG-18. During LNG-21 the vapor temperature of methane was also measured and found to be linearly related to the methane concentration over the 2-10% range. In addition to the two methane concentration instruments, progress in the laboratory associated with this program was made on the development of a modified TBDR device to measure the concentration of oxygen in the vapor cloud, and in the development of infrared fiber-optics for advanced laser detection of methane and other species. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 31, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA078494
Entities
People
- E. D. Hinckley
Organizations
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory