Laser Induced Fluorometry/Cone Penetrometer (LIF) Demonstration Plan

Abstract

The Laser Induced Fluorometry (LIF) technologies to be demonstrated using the SCAPS CPT platform provide real-time field screening of the physical characteristics of soil and chemical characteristics of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination at hazardous waste sites. The current configuration is designed to quickly and cost-effectively distinguish hydrocarbon-contaminated areas from uncontaminated areas. Secondary to this primary attribute is the acquisition of geologic information, reduction of investigation derived waste, and other benefits. This capability allows further investigation and remediation decisions to be made more efficiently and reduces the number of samples that must be submitted to laboratories for analysis. The LIF systems to be demonstrated use a pulsed laser coupled with an optical detector to measure fluorescence via optical fibers. The measurement is made through a sapphire window on a probe that is pushed into the ground with a truck-mounted Cone Penetrometer testing (CPT). CPT and standard penetrometer testing (SPT) have been widely used in the geotechnical industry for determining soil strength and soil type from measurements of tip resistance and sleeve friction on an instrumented probe. The two LIF technologies to be demonstrated are (1) the nitrogen laser-based LIF sensor and support system currently being used in the Navy, Army, and DOE. (2) a tunable dye laser-equipped induced fluorescence system, the ROST system. The LIF methods provide data on the in situ distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons from the fluorescence response induced in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds that are components of the petroleum hydrocarbon. The methods detect PAHs in the bulk soil matrix throughout the vadose, capillary fringe, and saturated zones.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA337787

Entities

Organizations

  • Naval Command, Control and Ocean Surveillance Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • California
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Reduction
  • Department Of Defense
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Dye Lasers
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Environmental Protection
  • Hazardous Waste
  • Hazardous Waste Sites
  • Health Services
  • Laser Induced Fluorescence
  • Lasers
  • Measurement
  • Ocean Surveillance
  • Test And Evaluation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Geotechnical Engineering.
  • Groundwater Contamination Remediation.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy