 ECOPROBE 5
Portable IR/PID gas analyzer
A new dimension in detection of
contaminant indicators
.
 Soil Contamination Survey
Gas from the pore space in soil and rock
formations is known as soil vapour.
The composition of this phase, in particular the
presence of organic compounds, reveals vital
information about pollution of the subsurface
contaminant.
Organic compounds constitute a group of
contaminants which impact severely on
groundwater resources.
.
 Soil Contamination Survey
The presence and distribution of such
pollutants can be detected by a newly
established technique known as
Soil Vapour Survey (SVS)
which is based on analysis of the soil
gas or vapour.
.
 Soil Contamination Survey
The following types of contaminants
are addressed:
1.
Liquid organic materials including
hydrocarbons (mainly petroleum
products) and chlorinated hydrocarbons
(industrial solvents, metal-cutting oils
etc.)
2.
Organic vapours from landfills and from
gas leaks
 Soil Contamination Survey
Factors affecting in situ SV measurements:
1. Presence of Methane of nature origin:
Methane occurs in different
concentration
everywhere in the soil
environment, which
confuses all total
based in-situ
measurements.
2. Type of contaminant: for the SVS to be
applied successfully, the contaminant of
interest must yield sufficient vapour phase.
(Some compounds like transformer oils, PCB
and certain phenols create very low vapour
phase and require special sampling
technique).
 Soil Contamination Survey
3. Zoning : differences in several physical
properties
of the compounds present in a
complex
contaminant (vapour
pressure, solubility in
water, mobility in the
subsurface, resistance
to degradation etc.)
may contribute towards
the
heterogeneous character of a pollution
plume.
4. Surface contamination: a pollutant occurring in
the surface layer will seriously affect the
distribution and concentration patterns of an
underlying, deep source of contamination.
 Soil Contamination Survey
5. Age of a contaminant: All petroleum products
experience some degree of natural
biodegradation process in the subsurface
environment. Lighter HC are more readily
degraded than the heavier compounds. After a
certain period of time the spectral composition
of contaminants will dramatically change;
moreover, some contaminants may become
morphologized, that is: composed of non-toxic
aromatic compounds which are out of the basic
hydrocarbon spectrum.
 Soil Contamination Survey
6. Soil temperature: vapour density and
vapour diffusion will increase with
increasing temperature.
7. Soil moisture: the presence of moisture will
reduce the effective porosity which will
negatively affect the migration and the volume
of SV available for investigation.
8. Soil permeability: may dramatically
influence the measured value of
concentration of the free SV phase.
 Soil Contamination Survey
Previous SVS methods
Previously used time-integrated SVS methods
applied special absorbents into which the
analyzed soil vapour was absorbed during a
relatively long time-interval.
These methods did not meet natural conditions
and yielded incorrect quantitative results.
 Soil Contamination Survey
Mix the identical quantity
of
liquid contaminant
.
. . .
. .
.
.
. . .
. .
.
.
. . . . .
Poorly permeable soil
clay
.
.
.
Permeable soil
sand
Measurement of SV concentration in both
samples
shows the difference of up to 2 or 3
decimal
orders.
 Soil Contamination Survey
RS DYNAMICS developed a special
instrumentation -- Ecoprobe 5 -- which
provides a solution for most of the abovementioned
complicated conditions and
offers the true in-situ method for a reliable soil
contamination survey.
Ecoprobe 5 eliminates sampling and sample
transport problems to the lab, in this way
offering fast, cost- effective and reliable location
of contaminant sources and trajectories of the
contaminant spread.
 Soil Contamination Survey
The air is
sucked into the
probe
and
continuously
analyzed in
the instrument
 Soil Contamination Survey
Ecoprobe 5 shows the course of
measurement overview on the screen
Graphs of concentrations versus time

Soil Contamination Survey
The identical
quantity
of
contaminant is
mixed into the
samples
clay
d
san

IR/PID
correlation
graphs
obtained from
Ecoprobe 5

ECOPROBE 5
Portable and compact highly sensitive gas
analyzer providing cost-effective and
reliable in-situ results

ECOPROBE 5

ECOPROBE 5
Comprises two autonomous analyzers in one
case
D
PI
+ IR
Combination of PID and four channel IR
analyzers provides solution for a variety of
contamination survey tasks.
.

Applications
 Ecoprobe 5 provides a complete system and
methodology for contaminant detection

Basic application
 Detection & monitoring of
hydrocarbons and other organic
contamination of soil
& water table
from fuel spills
Soil vapour survey was made
by CSIR/ Petrocon (Council
for Scientific and Industrial
Research), South Africa

Basic application
 Pipe-line leakage monitoring
Soil vapour survey was
made by CSIR /Petrocon
(Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research), South
Africa

Basic application
 Monitoring of soil venting processes

Basic application
 Monitoring of petrol station UST leakage
Soil vapour survey made by
Prote, Poland

Basic application
 Environmental Rescue Service

Basic application
 Automatic monitoring using
Ecoprobe 5 as a Monitoring station
Optional stationary
version of IR Ecoprobe 5
analyzer
Monitoring station over a
large pressurized
underground gas reservoir

Basic application
 Detection and monitoring of Ammonia
content and gaseous toxins in agriculture

Basic application
Detection and monitoring of gaseous
toxins in industrial plants
 Monitoring of in-situ bio-remediation
processes
 Air pollution monitoring (PID)

Basic application
 Monitoring of waste dumps
 UST (Underground Storage Tanks)
leakage
 Ecoprobe 5 can be used as a
sophisticated sampling device.
Absorbent cartridge can be connected
to the instrument outlet.

Data Logging
 GPS coordinates logging
Commercial use of GPS has proven
invaluable in many fields. It can be used
to track everything from migrating animal
herds to the creep of the earth’s crust.
GPS consists of 24 satellites in predictable orbits around
the earth. The system provides 24-hour positioning
information.
Ecoprobe 5 is the first world-wide geophysical instrument
to provide GPS positioning !!

GPS Data Logging
GPS satellite orbital information is
referenced to WGS 84. WGS 84 is an earth fixed global reference frame using latitude
and longitude coordinate system to locate
points on the Earth’s surface.
The GPS system in Ecoprobe 5 can be used if a specific
software is activated and if a special RS DYNAMICS GPS
receiver is available.
Depending upon accuracy requirements, users may
select from GPS systems with
•
Meter precision
•
Decimeter precision
•
Centimeter precision
Data Logging

 Standard data logging system

5
15,
Data are saved in an orderly
manner
35,
25

PID Analyzer
 Measures total concentration of volatile organic
compounds and other toxic gases including
chlorinated hydrocarbons
Result value measured
by
PID
3000 ppm
VOC

Spectrum
e
Methan
PID analyzer selectively excludes Methane
from the total sum


D
PID Analyzer
Two ranges:
STANDAR
HISENS
detection limit 0.1 ppm upper
limit 4000 ppm (output also in
mg/ m)
detection limit 0.1 ppb (0.0001
ppm) upper limit 100 ppm (output
also in µg/m)
HISENS mode is extremely sensitive (intended
for precise measurement ). It is not
recommended for the typical soil vapour survey
since factors like moisture, presence of
methane, under-pressure may influence the
results.

PID Analyzer
 Spectral characteristic of Ecoprobe 5 PID unit
is equal to the laboratory gas chromatograph unit
(if the same lamp is used) which brings very
close results between Ecoprobe 5 outputs and
laboratory analysis results for given samples.

Interchangeable ion lamps (10.2 eV standard)

PID Analyzer
RELATIVE ANALYSIS
Fast and cost effective identification of relative
concentration cloud, contaminant sources, path
and the range of contaminated area. Table of
measured compounds by PID offers mixtures of
most common contaminants (Diesel Fuel, Gasoline,
Jet Fuel). Select the compound characterizing the
contaminant to get most reliable data.
PID Analyzer

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
Ecoprobe 5 is calibrated for Isobuthylene
(Isobuthylene represents the most suitable gas
which is also used in laboratory gas
chromatographs). Responses to other compounds
are different. The instrument is, however,
automaticaly calibrated for about 200 compounds.
In spite of this fact Ecoprobe 5 is not a spectral
sensitive analyzer.
PID Analyzer

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
 In an ideal case when composition of
contaminant is known and created by one
compound, select the compound from the
list that is chemically equal or close to the
contaminant . You will get quantitative
concentration of vapour phase.
 Commonly the contaminant is a complicated
mixture of compounds. However, it is possible
to get approximately quantitative, fast and
reliable results for a typical soil vapour survey
 Application of PID
Analyzer
1. For measuring small values of
contaminant concentration
2. For measuring wider spectrum of
contaminant
3. For quantitative measurement

IR Analyzer
Provides selective detection of METHANE,
Petroleum Hydrocarbons and Carbon Dioxide.

4 independent channels ( ppm or mg/m output ) :

Methane; 0 -500 000 ppm, detection limit 20 ppm
 Petroleum Hydrocarbons - including Methane; 0 - 500 000
ppm, d.l. 20 ppm
 Carbon Dioxide; 0 - 500 000 ppm, d.l. 20 ppm
 Reference channel

IR Analyzer
If hydrocarbons are present in
the contaminant, consequent
continuity between PID and IR
outputs can be observed.
 Application of IR Analyzer
Relative and fast in situ
monitoring of contaminant

On-line data transfer from Ecoprobe 5
to
the computer
 Communication software for transferring data
to a computer and for basic graphic evaluating
of measured data. Data format compatible with
Surfer, Grapher, Geosoft, etc.

Data processing using
Communication Software
Graphic results using Ecoprobe Plus
communication software

1. Values from all channels for a particular
line


Graphic results using Ecoprobe Plus

communication software
2. All lines for one parameter

Graphic results using Ecoprobe
Plus communication software
3. Course of measurement on one site
Graphic results using graphic softwares
- Grapher, Surfer etc.

Contour map of
subsurface
contaminant
location
