(Project concluded on November 30, 2020)
The present research project focuses on the application of a laser-based remote sensing technique (known as “LIDAR – light detection and ranging”) to measure fugitive emissions associated with the petroleum industry. The study consists initially of improving the existing laboratory capacity by adding new equipments to the existing LIDAR system: specifically, a Lidar fluorescence spectrometer will be acquired. The system will be used in a number of planned monitoring campaigns, aimed at the acquisition of data from industrial flares, and fugitive emissions from tanks, i.e., storage systems used for petroleum and petroleum products. The collected data will be used in the development of data processing algorithms based on optical models and multivariate analysis, for the estimation of the concentration of important chemical species contained in fugitive emissions, like aerosols, SO2, NOx, and volatile organic compounds.
Besides the inherent activities of research, involving products such as technical – scientific publications and theses, the present study, for its innovative features, is expected to generate innovative technology to study the presence of several compounds of interest in fugitive emissions, allowing further development of studies on pollutant dispersion and on interactions between different chemical species under different weather conditions.
The set of deliverables consist of specific research products, including papers and theses, and the adequate and detailed documentation relative to the developed methodology, including specifications and procedures concerning the equipment, measurement procedures, data treatment algorithms, and corresponding computer codes.
TEAM
Roberto Guardani (POLI-USP)
Project Coordinator
Claudio A O do Nascimento (POLI-USP)
Eduardo Landulfo (POLI-USP)