DEVELOPMENT OF A PORTABLE REAL TIME SUBSURFACE METHANE/ETHANE DETECTOR SYSTEM FOR NATURAL GAS EXPLORATION AND LEAK/SEEPAGE LOCATION

THIS PROJECT STUDIES AN EFFICIENT AND INNOVATIVE NATURAL GAS EXPLORATION SYSTEM COMPOSED OF A HIGHLY SENSITIVE, PORTABLE, REAL TIME, INFRARED LASER DETECTION SYSTEM FOR METHANE AND ETHANE COUPLED TO A PORTABLE SHALLOW DRILLING SYSTEM AND AN AUTOMATED DATA MAPPING SYSTEM. THIS SAME SYSTEM WILL BE DIRECTLY USEFUL IN EVALUATING AND LOCATING UNDERGROUND LEAKS IN NATURAL GAS TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS AS WELL AS IN THE DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF METHANE RECOVERY STRATEGIES FROM LANDFILLS. IN THE PHASE I EFFORT, A TUNABLE INFRARED DIODE LASER IS COUPLED TO A UNIQUE OFF-AXIS RESONATOR MULTIPASS OPTICAL ABSORPTION CELL TO DEMONSTRATE THE REQUIRED SENSITIVITY TO DETECT METHANE AND ETHANE FROM PROBED SOIL GAS. THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN OF A PROTOTYPE FIELD INSTRUMENT WITH AUTOMATED DATA MAPPING CAPABILITIES, EFFECTIVELY COUPLED TO COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SOIL DRILLING AND SAMPLING EQUIPMENT, IS ALSO BEING COMPLETED. A SUBSEQUENT PHASE II EFFORT WOULD PRODUCE A PROTOTYPE PORTABLE FIELD METHANE/ETHANE DETECTOR AND DATA MAPPING SYSTEM COUPLED TO COMMERCIAL DRILLING EQUIPMENT. THIS INTEGRATED SYSTEM WOULD ALSO BE DEMONSTRATED IN THE FIELD FOR NATURAL GAS EXPLORATION IN A RELEVANT SEDIMENTARY BASIN SYSTEM, OR FOR EVALUATION OF UNDERGROUND NATURAL GAS LEAKS AND LANDFILL BIOGAS RECOVERY.