Validation of optical remote sensing measurement strategies applied to industrial gas emissions

Journal article, 2009

In May 2004 a field-campaign was conducted at a power plant in Spain, aiming at validating the use of a miniaturized, fibre-optic, ultraviolet, differential optical absorption spectrometer (mini-DOAS) instrument for sulphur dioxide flux (SO2) quantification. Emissions were determined by integrating the total number of molecules in a vertical cross-section of the gas plume, and multiplying them by the wind component at plume height. Calculated wind data was compared with balloon soundings. Plume height, computed from a tomographic reconstruction of the plume was compared with stereo-photogrammetric methods and a plume rise model. Finally, SO2 fluxes were compared to emissions reported by the power station. Although the meteorological conditions during the field-campaign were adverse, with large fluctuations in wind-speed and wind-direction, the optical measurements performed proved to be practically feasible and compared well with the techniques used for the validation. SO2 fluxes derived by mini-DOAS were within 7% of the ones reported by the power station.