Gas Scanning and Analysis

A method of identifying a gas sample using a gas sample scanning and analysis system including a storage system, comprising the steps of:

• scanning the gas sample with a gas scanning apparatus, the gas scanning apparatus including a transmitter for transmitting a series of electromagnetic signals, each of the signals having a transmitted amplitude over a plurality of sample points within a range of frequencies, and a receiver for receiving the series of signals as the series of signals are reflected from or transmitted through the sample;
• generating a series of spectral data sets representing at least a scanned amplitude of each of the signals over the plurality of sample points;
• generating one or more composite spectrograms from the series of spectral data sets;
• analyzing the one or more composite spectrograms to identify a characteristic of the gas sample, the characteristic having a first variance that is minimized across the one or more composite spectrograms and a second variance that is maximally different across a plurality of characteristics corresponding to a plurality of other samples in the storage system;
• comparing the characteristic to a plurality of profiles corresponding to a plurality of gasses at a plurality of concentrations stored in the storage system to identify a profile among the plurality of profiles that corresponds to the characteristic;
• and
• identifying the gas sample based on the profile.