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

Abstract

In May 2004 a field campaign was conducted at a power plant in Spain, aiming to validate the use of a miniaturized, fibre‐optic, ultraviolet, differential optical absorption spectrometer (mini‐DOAS) for sulfur dioxide (SO₂) flux 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 were 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 validation. SO₂ fluxes derived by the mini‐DOAS were within 7% of those reported by the power station.

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge support from the European Commission Fifth Framework project ‘DORSIVA’. Moreover, DORSIVA members thank Endesa for their support during the field campaign at Teruel Power Plant in Andorra, Spain. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive and careful comments that greatly improved the quality of this work.