Apparatus and methods for location and sizing of trace gas sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10690562-B2
Application number	US-201716343363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2017
Priority date	Oct 18, 2016
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A system for detecting gas leaks and determining their location and size. A data gathering portion of the system utilizes a chosen geometrical configuration to collect path-integrated spectroscopic data over multiple paths around an area. A processing portion of the system applies a transport model together with meteorological data of the area to generate an influence function of possible leak locations on gas detector measurement paths, and applies an inversion model to the influence function, prior data, and the spectroscopic data to generate gas source size and location.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for characterizing at least one gas source located in a geographical area, comprising:
using a transport model with meteorological data related to the geographical area to generate source-receptor relationships that describe influence of emissions from the at least one gas source on path-integrated spectroscopic data collected for open paths around the geographical area; and
determining emissions information for the at least one gas source by applying an inversion model to the source-receptor relationships, the path-integrated spectroscopic data, and prior data indicating one or more known or potential gas sources in the geographical area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emissions information includes one or more of a presence, a location, and a size of the at least one gas source.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the prior data includes locations of one or more facilities or components that are the one or more potential gas sources.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the prior data includes uncertainty.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the method further comprises isolating a source signal in the path-integrated spectroscopic data from background to obtain observation data; and
said applying the inversion model includes applying the inversion model to the observation data, the prior data, the source-receptor relationships, and uncertainties related to interpretation of the observation data.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the uncertainties related to interpretation of the observation data include model-data mismatch uncertainties.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said using the transport model further uses the prior data to generate the source-receptor relationships.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said applying the inversion model employs a least-squares fitting technique.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said applying the inversion model employs a Bayesian inversion technique.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising measuring the meteorological data related to the geographical area.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising simulating the geographical area to obtain the meteorological data related to the geographical area.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting the path-integrated spectroscopic data by:
transmitting light from a spectrometer unit to each of a plurality of retroreflectors arrayed over the geographical area; and
detecting, with the spectrometer unit, the transmitted light after reflecting off said each of the plurality of retroreflectors;
wherein each of the open paths is defined by a location of the spectrometer unit and a location of a corresponding one of the plurality of retroreflectors.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising placing the plurality of retroreflectors in a fenceline configuration such that the retroreflectors surround the geographical area.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising placing the plurality of retroreflectors in an orthogonal beam sampling configuration such that at least one of the plurality of retroreflectors is located upwind from the at least one gas source and at least one other of the plurality of retroreflectors is located downwind from the at least one gas source.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein said transmitting includes transmitting light sequentially from the spectrometer unit to each of the plurality of retroreflectors.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the spectrometer unit is one of a plurality of spectrometer units arranged in a cluster configuration; and
the method further comprises:
repeating, for each spectrometer unit of the plurality of spectrometer units, said using and said determining to obtain one or both of emissions information and an ambient concentration for said each spectrometer unit, and
using one or both of the emissions information and the ambient concentration from one of the plurality of spectrometer units as prior data for processing the path-integrated spectroscopic data collected by one or more other spectrometer units of the plurality of spectrometer units.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising bootstrapping model uncertainties to produce an empirical distribution of source strengths for a plurality of potential source locations, wherein the empirical distribution is used to determine likelihood of a non-zero emission rate at each of the plurality of potential source locations.

18. An apparatus for characterizing at least one gas source located in a geographical area, comprising:
a spectrometer unit configured to transmit light to each of a plurality of retroreflectors arrayed over the geographical area, and to detect the transmitted light after reflecting off said each of the plurality of retroreflectors;
a spectrometer processor configured to process an output of the spectrometer unit to generate path-integrated spectroscopic data for an open path between the spectrometer unit and said each of the plurality of retroreflectors; and
a processor configured to:
use a transport model with meteorological data related to the geographical area to generate source-receptor relationships that describe influence of emissions from the at least one gas source on the path-integrated spectroscopic data, and
determine emissions information for the at least one gas source by applying an inversion model to the source-receptor relationships, the path-integrated spectroscopic data, and prior data indicating one or more known or potential gas sources in the geographical area.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the spectrometer unit is a dual comb spectrometer.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
isolate a source signal in the path-integrated spectroscopic data from background to obtain observation data, and
apply the inversion model to the observation data, the prior data, the source-receptor relationships, and uncertainties related to interpretation of the observation data.

Assignees

• Univ Colorado Regents
• Government Of The Us Secretary Of Commerce

Inventors

• Rieker Gregory B
• Prasad Kuldeep
• Alden Caroline B
• Coburn Sean C
• Wright Robert J

Classifications

• G01M3/04

  by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point · CPC title

• G01M3/38

  by using light (G01M3/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01M3/16 Primary

  using electric detection means ({G01M3/045,} G01M3/06, G01M3/12, G01M3/20, G01M3/24, G01M3/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01N33/0062

  concerning the measuring method or the display, e.g. intermittent measurement or digital display · CPC title

• G01W1/00 Primary

  Meteorology · CPC title