The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 02, 1998
Filed:
Jul. 15, 1996
Rosario C Sausa, Bel Air, MD (US);
United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A subsurface soil contaminant identification system employs a cone penetrometer unit for continuously measuring the concentration of energetic materials in potentially contaminated soils. The sensor is rugged, reliable, and has a fast response time. The invention utilizes two pulsed, time-delayed miniature lasers. An infrared laser is used for decomposing the energetic material into NO and other products, while a visible laser operating near 452 nm is used for NO detection by (2+2) resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI). The system employs a fiber optic to transmit the output radiation at distances of approximately 30-50 meters, a lens assembly to focus one or both laser beams, a pair of miniature electrodes to collect the ions, a penetrometer, and data acquisition/processing equipment. A REMPI spectrum of 0.1% NO at atmospheric pressure reveals that the spectral resolution is sufficient such that characteristic spectral features of NO can be identified unequivocally.