ULTRAVIOLET FLUORESCENCE DETECTION OF UNDERGROUND FUEL SPILLS

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop a fuel tank leak monitor based on the absorption/fluorescence properties of hydrocarbon fuels. This monitor would be buried next to fuel tanks in "tank farms" and would provide a direct indication of fuel leaks in the field. The Phase I effort will be focused on validating the fluorescence concept as a monitor for fuel tank failures and starting the development process which transforms a laboratory concept into a field worthy and fully tested instrumented. The fluorescence fuel detection system is based on the red shifted fluorescence emitted by a fuel irradiated with ultraviolet light. Typical hydrocarbon fuels (for example, JP-4 and JP-5) absorb strongly for wavelengths less than 380 nm and radiate a portion of the abosrbed energy as red shifted fluorescence. The addition of rhodamine dyes can be used where direct fuel fluorescence cannot distinguish between fuel types. We have shown that this absorption/fluorescence process produces signals that are strong enough to be easily detectable for sand coated with JP-5.