US 8,914,312 B2 · Method of contaminant prediction

Abstract

Method of selectively predicting hydrocarbon concentration in a sample of unknown hydrocarbon concentration, by (i) separately subjecting two or more samples of known hydrocarbon concentration to infrared (IR) radiation, (ii) separately detecting an IR signal from the samples of known hydrocarbon concentration, (iii) analyzing the IR signals using a multivariate chemometric technique to produce a training data set, (iv) generating a predictive model for hydrocarbon concentration based on the training data set, (v) subjecting the unknown sample to infrared (IR) radiation, (vi) detecting an IR signal from the unknown sample, (vii) applying the predictive model to the IR signal from the unknown sample. Thereafter, as step (viii), hydrocarbon concentration in the unknown sample is selectively predicted.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method of selectively predicting petroleum hydrocarbon concentration in an environmental sample of unknown hydrocarbon concentration (the unknown sample) without extraction of the petroleum hydrocarbon from the environmental sample, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) separately subjecting two or more samples of known hydrocarbon concentration to infrared (IR) radiation using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, at least two of the samples having different hydrocarbon concentrations;
(ii) separately detecting an IR signal from the samples of known hydrocarbon concentration;
(iii) analysing the IR signals using a multivariate chemometric technique to produce a training data set;
(iv) generating a predictive model for hydrocarbon concentration based on the training data set;
(v) subjecting the unknown sample to infrared (IR) radiation using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy;
(vi) detecting an IR signal from the unknown sample;
(vii) applying the predictive model to the IR signal from the unknown sample;
and thereafter
(viii) selectively predicting petroleum hydrocarbon concentration in the unknown sample.

6 more elements

A method for generating a model to selectively predict petroleum hydrocarbon concentration in an environmental sample of unknown hydrocarbon concentration (the unknown sample) without extraction of the petroleum hydrocarbon from the environmental sample, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) separately subjecting two or more samples of known hydrocarbon concentration to infrared (IR) radiation using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, at least two of the samples having different hydrocarbon concentrations;
(ii) separately detecting an IR signal from the samples of known hydrocarbon concentration;
(iii) analysing the IR signals using a multivariate chemometric technique to produce a training data set;
(iv) generating a predictive model for hydrocarbon concentration based on the training data set;
(v) separately subjecting one or more further sample(s) of known hydrocarbon concentration to infrared (IR) radiation using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy;
(vi) separately detecting an IR signal from the further sample(s) of known hydrocarbon concentration;
and thereafter
(vii) calibrating the predictive model using the IR signal of the further sample(s) of known hydrocarbon concentration;
wherein application of the predictive model to the unknown sample selectively predicts petroleum hydrocarbon concentration therein.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of contaminant prediction

Life of this patent

Method of contaminant prediction

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15