Utomhusförsök med passiv avståndsindikering av ammoniak, svaveldioxid och propan

In order to obtain more experience about passive FTIR a field trial was performed in Umeå, Sweden, during three days in September 2001. The questions in need to be answered were whether RAPID could be used for mobile detection, how different IR backgrounds influence the technique and to verify the suspicion that sulphur dioxide and propane are difficult but possible to detect using this technique. Ammonia was used in most of the trials and all the releases were made from gas cylinders containing condensed gas. For the trial with mobile detection, RAPID was mounted on a terrain vehicle and ammonia was detected at 700 metres distance while the vehicle drove at a speed of 15-25 km/h. The detection limit of ammonia was calculated to be 2.5 ppm, for sulphur dioxide 18 ppm and for propane 300 ppm. From the measurements with ammonia the detection limit for G agents was estimated to 0.4-0.8 ppm and for mustad gas to 0.7-1 ppm. For the detection limits above the assumptions were made that the cloud thickness was 100 metres and that the temperature difference between the cloud and the background was 1 Kelvin. The instrument was also demonstrated for staff from the Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Defence Material Administration since the technique is interesting for the NBC company.