Caren H Fisher

US Patent:

20100131207, May 27, 2010

Filed:

Dec 16, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/639364

Inventors:

JOSEPH LAWRENCE LIPPERT - Rochester NY, US
Steven Vincent Stearns - Vienna VA, US
Daniel Everett Brake - Fairport NY, US
Caren M. Fisher - Rochester NY, US

Assignee:

ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES, INC. - WILMINGTON DE

International Classification:

G01F 1/00
G06F 19/00

US Classification:

702 24, 702 49

Abstract:

A system for obtaining emission flux of a gas plume, emanating from a source, includes an airborne differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system for determining multiple concentration path length (CPL) values along a flight path; and an airborne wind measuring system (WMS) for determining a wind vector at the aircraft altitude. Also included is a processor for receiving the multiple CPL values determined by the DIAL system and the wind vector determined by the WMS. The processor uses the CPL values to compute either (a) an area-integrated concentration (AIC) value or (b) an average concentration value over a cross-plume extent, defined along the length dimension of the flight path. The processor also scales the wind vector to the near ground altitude level of the gas plume to obtain a scaled wind vector. The emission flux is obtained by multiplying either the AIC value or the average concentration value with a component of the scaled wind vector. The component of the scaled wind vector is defined by a vector perpendicular to the length dimension of the flight path.