| Abstract Title: | Low Concentration Fugitive Emissions Monitoring of Benzene |
| Abstract Type: | Oral |
| Session Choice: | Environmental Monitoring of Air |
| Presenter Name: | Ms Tayyaba Rizvi |
| Co-authors: | Ms Tayyaba Rizvi |
| Company/Organisation: | Duvas Technologies Ltd |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
Abstract Information :
Recent awareness of the extreme toxicity of benzene has prompted the need for a portable instrument capable of being used to monitor environmental levels of this pollutant. This paper describes an instrument based on UV DOAS techniques which enables real-time low ppb measurement of benzene in a portable package and associated software applications to enable display of concentrations map and illustrates some examples of surveys undertaken.
The instrument can be mobile and extracts a sample at high speed to enable 1 second logging intervals enabling plume analysis at the perimeter of industrial complexes or on public roads. The unit calibration is such that it can be calibrated specifically for the BTX gases and does not overstate benzene concentrations vs toluene and the xylene isomers (which are resolved separately) compared with some other techniques.
A survey can be carried out from a vehicle without the need for a technician to operate the instrument but still provides both logged and real-time measurements.
An instrument can be used as a first response to a spillage of hydrocarbon products, but because of it is specific to benzene, does not overestimate the risk to personnel or the public. It can also be used to show compliance to emission standards.
