Remote sensing for gas plume monitoring using state-of-the-art infrared hyperspectral imaging

Under contract to the US Air Force and Navy, Pacific Advanced Technology has developed a very sensitive hyperspectral imaging infrared camera that can perform remote imaging spectro-radiometry. One of the most exciting applications for this technology is in the remote monitoring of gas plume emissions. Pacific Advanced Technology (PAT) currently has the technology available to detect and identify chemical species in gas plumes using a small light weight infrared camera the size of a camcorder. Using this technology as a remote sensor can give advanced warning of hazardous chemical vapors undetectable by the human eye as well as monitor the species concentrations in a gas plume from smoke stack and fugitive leaks. Some of the gas plumes that have been measured and species detected using an IMSS imaging spectrometer are refinery smoke stacks plumes with emission of CO2, CO, SO2, NOx. Low concentration vapor unseen by the human eye that has been imaged and measured is acetone vapor evaporating at room temperature. The PAT hyperspectral imaging sensor is called "Image Multi-spectral Sensing or IMSS". The IMSS instrument uses defractive optic technology and exploits the chromatic aberrations of such lenses. Using diffractive optics for both imaging and dispersion allows for a very low cost light weight robust imaging spectrometer. PAT has developed imaging spectrometers that span the spectral range from the visible, midwave infrared (3 to 5 microns) and longwave infrared (8 to 12 microns) with this technology. This paper will present the imaging spectral data that we have collected on various targets with our hyperspectral imaging instruments as will also describe the IMSS approach to imaging spectroscopy.