Detecting substances in drinking water reservoirs
OwnerBrian N. White, Charles Rockwell Booth +1inventors
InventorsBrian N. White, Charles Rockwell Booth, John H. Morrow
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Abstract
The optical properties of water impounded in reservoirs such as large tanks with closed covers and in uncovered reservoirs are monitored to detect harmful substances. The system and method comprises illuminating the water with an artificial light source within the enclosure for monitoring of the reservoir. Radiance and irradiance fluxes are measured by one or more multiband radiometers. Changes in radiance and irradiance are used to calculate spectral attenuation coefficients of the water. Fluorescence spectra are measured. A computer look-up table of known absorption and emission spectra is compared to the spectral attenuation to determine if a substance has been detected.
Claims18
A method for monitoring optical properties of water within a reservoir, the method comprising
- illuminating water within a reservoir with a light source for detecting a substance;
- measuring a change in optical flux along a path-length within the water using a multiband radiometer;
- calculating the attenuation coefficient from the change in the optical flux;
- comparing the attenuation coefficient to typical absorption and emission spectra of the substance for identification of the substance.
A system for detecting the presence of a substance in a liquid in an enclosure including:
- an artificial illumination source for illuminating a liquid containing a substance to create optical flux;
- a first multiband radiometer located proximal to the artificial illumination source for detecting changes in the optical flux in one section of an enclosure;
- and
- a second multiband radiometer located distal to the artificial illumination source for detecting changes in optical flux in a second section of the enclosure;
- and whereby the difference in optical light received by a first multiband radiometer collector and a second radiometer collector is independent of changes in a level of the artificial illumination source.
A method for detecting changes in a level of contaminants in a liquid in a closed reservoir, comprising
- illuminating a column of liquid in a closed reservoir with an artificial light source for essentially continuously monitoring of the closed reservoir;
- measuring the radiance and irradiance in the column of liquid;
- calculating the spectral attenuation coefficient of the column of liquid;
- comparing the attenuation coefficient with a reference table of absorption and emission spectra for a substance;
- and
- determining if the column of liquid contains the substance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.