Gas Detection 5
DCMR Environmental Protection Agency Rijnmond
DCMR is the regional environmental agency operating in Rijnmond, the larger 'Port of Rotterdam'-area in the Netherlands. Due to the presence of the largest seaport of Europe this area is filled with heavy industry, including refineries, waste incinerators, several waste dumping sites, many large chemical plants and metallurgy plants. All of these plants bring with them a risk of pollution. That is why the DCMR was founded in 1972 in order to improve environmental protection in the Rotterdam- Rijnmond region. It supervises and monitors clean-up programs to minimise the impact of soil pollution, waste disposal and noise.
ranging). Although these techniques are robust and can quantify the emissions these technologies are very expensive to purchase, they are unwieldy, requiring large trucks to carry the equipment, and also complicated to use, requiring a lot of training to be used effectively. In comparison the GF-Series camera is a much more affordable solution. It is also compact, lightweight, portable, and it is very easy to use, requiring very little training.”
An optical gas imaging camera is a quick, non-contact measuring instrument that can immediately give the camera operator an overview of the situation. It can also be used in hard-to-access locations, since it can detect small leaks from several meters away and big leaks from hundreds of meters away, and it can also show leaks in moving transport vehicles, such as tanker trucks, but also barges and rail wagons.
User friendly
The purchase of the FLIR GF320 optical gas imaging camera included a three day training course at the Infrared Training Center (ITC) for the inspectors that were expected to work with the camera. According to Van Doorn the FLIR GF320 optical gas imaging camera is very user friendly. “I was surprised to see that we were able to work quickly and efficiently with the camera, attaining a high level of accuracy, immediately after the three day training course. And perhaps that three day course was not even necessary, to be completely honest. The camera is so easy to use that you can probably even use it to ascertain whether or not a leak is present without any training whatsoever. You could say that it is rather self-explanatory.”
Infrared absorption
The FLIR GF320 optical gas imaging camera contains a cooled Indium Antimonide (InSb) infrared detector that produces thermal images with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels at a thermal sensitivity 25 mK (0.025 °C). The gas visualisation functionality of the FLIR GF-Series optical gas imaging cameras is based on the absorption of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared wavelength by gases. Most gases absorb infrared radiation at specific wavelengths. In other words, there are infrared wavelengths where
DCMR Environmental Protection Agency Rijnmond’s technical manager Rob van Doorn demonstrates the use of the FLIR GF320 optical gas imaging camera.
the gas is essentially opaque. All FLIR GF-Series optical gas imaging cameras contain a spectral filter, a focal plane array and an optical system that are all specifically tuned to very narrow spectral ranges where certain gases absorb infrared radiation. With the gas absorbing the infrared radiation and effectively blocking the radiation coming from the objects behind the leak, a gas leak will show up as either a black or a white plume in the thermal image, depending on whether the user opted for the ‘white hot’ or the ‘black hot’ settings.
The FLIR GF320 optical gas imaging camera is tuned to the
electromagnetic wavelengths between 3.2 and 3.4 µm, which is the section of the electromagnetic spectrum where most hydrocarbons absorb infrared radiation. Although the FLIR GF320 optical gas imaging camera will likely be able to detect a multitude of different gases it has been laboratory tested against 19 gases that are commonly found in the petrochemical industries:
• Benzene • Butane • Ethane • Ethylbenzene • Ethylene • Heptane • Hexane • Isoprene • Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK)
FLIR GF320
optical gas imaging camera • Visualise gas leaks in real time • Monitor parts of a plant that are difficult to reach with contact measurement tools • Perform inspections from a safe distance • Verify repairs
Optical gas imaging cameras can detect small leaks from several meters and big leaks from distances of hundreds of meters.
• Methane • Methanol • MIBK • Octane • Pentane • 1-Pentane • Propane • Propylene • Toluene • Xylene
These chemical compounds and gases are normally invisible to the naked eye, but due to the infrared absorption properties of these gases the FLIR GF320 optical gas imaging camera allows the inspector to see gas leaks as moving smoke-like plumes in the real time thermal video footage displayed in the eyepiece or on the LCD screen of the camera.
Ergonomic design
Apart from real time visualisation the FLIR GF320 optical gas imaging camera is also capable of recording both visual light video and thermal video footage. "This is very important, because the moving smoke like plume shows up much more clearly in a video than in a still picture", explains Van Doorn. "So for the reporting of
These images taken with the FLIR GF320 optical gas imaging camera illustrate the difference between regular mode and the high sensitivity mode. A leak that barely shows upon the regular rainbow color pattern thermal image on the left shows up clearly in high sensitivity mode on the right.
www.envirotech-online.com IET March / April 2012
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