Systems and methods for characterizing atmospheric emissions
The use of multiple retroreflected optical beams with spectrometers for methane detection addresses the limitations of existing methods by enhancing accuracy and efficiency in detecting methane emissions from natural gas infrastructure.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- AU · AU
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-09
AI Technical Summary
Existing methods for detecting methane emissions, such as optical gas imaging and Method 21, are limited by weather conditions and require extensive manual surveys, and there is a need for more efficient and accurate technologies to reduce fugitive methane emissions from natural gas infrastructure.
A method using multiple retroreflected optical beams with spectrometers to characterize gas emissions by measuring path-integrated absorption signals, allowing simultaneous or sequential measurement of multiple paths to determine emission characteristics, and combining these measurements with environmental data for accurate emission characterization.
This approach provides cost-effective and efficient detection of methane emissions by reducing equipment size and cost, improving accuracy through simultaneous measurement and data integration, and adapting to real-time conditions for enhanced emission characterization.
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