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Early Remote Risk Assessment Survey Technology—Physical Optics Corporation, Information Technologies Division, 20600 Gramercy Place, Building 100, Torrance, CA  90501-1821; 310-320-3088, www.poc.com 

Dr. Sergey Sandomirsky, Principal Investigator, sutama@poc.com

Mr. Gordon E. Drew, Business Official, gdrew@poc.com

DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-06ER84613

Amount:  $99,989 

Current monitoring technologies cannot reveal concealed fractures in overburdened geologic formations, which are candidate for carbon dioxide sequestration.  These fractures can be the most probable paths for carbon dioxide leaks.  Consequently, the Department of Energy is seeking risk assessment methodologies and simulation models to quantify and mitigate the accidental release of carbon dioxide from these formations. This project will develop a new survey technology that will identify potential zones of carbon dioxide leakage before geologic sequestration is initiated.  The technology will be based on differential absorption lidar and designed to detect anomalies that can reveal concealed and potentially hazardous zones.  Phase I will assemble and test the survey technology – which will include single-frequency, high-power laser diodes transmitting light at specific wavelengths; transmitting and receiving optics; and signal processing hardware and software.  The instrumentation will be demonstrated by using carbon dioxide, metane, argon, and helium gas mixtures.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:   The technology should find use in identifying, from an aircraft, surface geogas anomalies that indicate concealed faults and fractures, the major risks to future sequestration.  As a result the DOE would be able to minimize risk in selecting sites for geologic carbon dioxide sequestration.  Other applications may include environmental monitoring, pipe leak inspection, earthquake prediction, and nonproliferation control.