The Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF), is one of the High Resolution Vertical Profiling tools which COLUMBIA Technologies offers to detect subsurface contamination for environmental site assessments and characterizations. LIF is a Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL) mapping tool used to delineate the depth and horizontal extent of free product and residual petroleum contamination.
Where can I apply the Laser Induced Fluorescence as a detector for my environmental site assessments?
- Gasoline/fuel retail stations and petroleum terminals
- Underground Storage Tank (UST) sites
- Oil refineries
- Manufactured Gas Plants (MGPs)
- Wood treatment facilities
- Creosote residues
- Railroads
What compounds can the Laser Induced Fluorescence detect for my environmental site assessments?
- Free phase and residual phase petroleum product including:
- Gasoline
- Diesel
- Kerosene
- Fuel oils
- Jet fuel
- Aviation fuel
- Motor oil
- Synthetic oil
- Hydraulic oil
- Machine oils
- Lubricants
- Heavier end petroleum products including coal tar, creosote, and heavy crude
Please contact us to find out if the LIF can detect other compounds for your specific environmental site assessment.
How does the Laser Induced Fluorescence work for application at my specific site?
The LIF system is used to delineate the depth and horizontal extent of free product and residual petroleum contamination. The two types of LIF to investigate petroleum spills are UVOST® and TarGOST®. Both the UVOST® and TarGOST® are registered trademarks of Dakota Technologies, Inc. The principle difference of UVOST® to previous systems, is the use of an excimer rather than a solid state laser and the integration of the lasing and detecting systems into a compact, user-friendly package. Use of the excimer and the system integration provides greater reliability, better reproducibility, and less room for operator error. The fiber optic‐based fluorescence system is deployed with standard direct push or cone penetrometer equipment. All LIF systems use a laser to send pulses of monochromatic light down a fiber optic line to a probe where the light is emitted and excites any polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) containing compounds in the subsurface, causing them to fluoresce with a characteristic wavelength signature.
The induced fluorescence from the PAHs is returned over a separate fiber optic line to the surface where it is quantified using a detector system. The peak wavelength and intensity provide information about the type of petroleum or potential interferences.
The LIF can be used in combination with an Electrical Conductivity (EC) probe to provide indication of general soil particle size which can help determine zones of sands, silts, and clays. Using the EC logs you can define zones of lower conductivity which allows the movement of contaminants into the subsurface.
Since our sensors can be deployed from any type of Geoprobe (ranging from all-terrain track rigs to confined-space dolly mounts) we can increase your reach in locations that would typically be difficult to access.
Go from the Laser Induced Fluorescence page to our High Resolution Vertical Profiling services page.
Do you want to further discuss the possibilities of using LIF technology at your specific site? Complete the form below and we’ll contact you to discuss your scope of work in greater detail.
|
|
|---|
