An ultraviolet optimal screening tool measures UV fluorescence to determine the composition of petroleum products. These instruments are used for onsite testing and provide a number of important benefits. Below, learn about how they work and some of the advantages they offer.

How They Work

The tool's probe is inserted into the soil by virtually any type of direct-push system. A pulsed ultraviolet laser moves through a fiber optic line and reflects off a downhole mirror, then out the sapphire window on the probe's side. The sapphire window detects front-face fluorescence of petroleum's non-aqueous phase liquids. The laser light encounters the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and energizes them. The light source switches off, and the energy is reflected back by the hydrocarbons as a fluorescence.

From here, the fluorescence moves into the sapphire window and though the fiber optic line up the probe to the surface. Once there, the light is analyzed to determine its hydrocarbon composition, which tells the technician the type of petroleum in the ground.

Benefits

Ultraviolet optimal screening tools can detect any petroleum NAPL, from gasoline and diesel fuel to kerosene and crude oil. Results are accurate and fast, produced in real-time on a graph of tool signal versus depth. This is much quicker, more efficient, and more cost effective than sampling.

These tools can be deployed by nearly all direct-push systems, including geoprobes and cone penetrating testing. As a result, they are extremely versatile and well suited to a variety of conditions and terrain.

GeoTek Alaska utilizes ultraviolet optimal screening tools in their geotechnical services. Since 2002, they have been serving clients in Anchorage and throughout Alaska. They offer a variety of geotechnical and geophysical solutions, including auger drilling, groundwater sampling, and well monitoring. Their technicians specialize in acquiring subsurface data for professional environmental and geotechnical clients. Call (907) 569-5900 to request a quote for your project or visit them online to explore their services in more detail.