Single photon Lidar gas imagers for practical and widespread continuous methane monitoring

The accurate and comprehensive identification and quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is an essential part of the management and mitigation of climate change. We are developing a novel remote gas imaging sensor for the detection, visualisation, and quantification of methane emissions. The sensor uses a new technique we call Tunable Diode Lidar (TDLidar) which combines aspects of Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) with Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) and Time Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) to enable remote spectroscopy and ranging with low power semiconductor diode lasers. Our first TDLidar methane sensors use diode lasers with wavelengths around the CH4 absorption line at 1.6509 im and Peltier-cooled Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) detectors in a Random Modulation Continuous Wave (RMCW) Lidar system. Here we characterise our TDLidar methane sensor performance with calibrated gas cells and controlled gas release trials and we demonstrate quantification of leak rates as low as 0.012 g/s and detection at distances over 90 m. The accuracy, speed, and practicality of the sensor, combined with an expectation of low cost in volume, offers the potential that these sensors can be effectively applied for widespread continuous and autonomous monitoring of industrial methane emissions.

Automated summary

The text discusses the development of a novel remote gas imaging sensor for the detection, visualization, and quantification of methane emissions. This sensor utilizes a new technique called Tunable Diode Lidar (TDLidar) to achieve remote spectroscopy and ranging with low power semiconductor diode lasers. The sensor's ability to quantify leak rates as low as 0.012 g/s, detect at distances over 90 m, and potentially be applied for widespread continuous and autonomous monitoring of industrial methane emissions makes it a promising technology for climate change mitigation.