The Remote Sensing VOC Project is a
Texas Air Quality Field Study research project to identify
emission sources of volatile organic compounds that may have gone
unreported or underreported in the TCEQ’s emissions
inventory.
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Research helicopter with HAWK camera |
Helicopter Flights
The TCEQ will be conducting helicopter flights around the
Houston Ship Channel, the Texas City industrial area, and the
Beaumont–Port Arthur industrial areas using an infrared camera
to identify VOC emissions. The HAWK infrared video camera can view
VOC plumes, such as gasoline vapors and ethylene, that cannot be
seen by the human eye.
The helicopter is white with PATROL marked underneath in
large green letters. It is also marked with its Federal Aviation
Administration license number, N160TX. The project will have
clearance from the FAA. The subcontractor will fly over these
industrial areas in a grid pattern, and may hover when needed (for
example, if a leak is identified) to gather images and data on
emission sources.
Homeland-Security Considerations
A notification letter (
sample) is being sent to affected industrial sites, regional
law-enforcement agencies, emergency-management networks and
industrial trade groups to inform them of the agency’s intent
to use a low-flying helicopter for air-quality research. Remote
sensing observations are scheduled to begin and end in July. The
observations will be conducted primarily by the TCEQ–s
contractor, Lamar University, using Leak Surveys, Inc., as its
subcontractor.
Additional VOC Remote Sensing
The TCEQ also plans to conduct additional remote sensing
observations from public roads, public areas, stationary elevated
positions, and public waterways such as the Houston Ship Channel.
If VOC emission plumes are identified, the apparent owner or
operator of the source will be contacted by letter (
sample) and asked to identify the source, nature, and emission
rate of the emissions identified. Other information may be
requested on specific source types.
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Contact Us
- Telephone—Adam Bullock: 512-239-5155 or Russ
Nettles: 512-239-1493
- E-mail—aqp@tceq.state.tx.us (please
put “Remote Sensing VOC” in the subject line)
- List Server—The TCEQ has set up an e-mail list
server to notify interested parties of the approximate location and
dates of observations during the observation phase of this project.
Interested parties may subscribe to the e-mail list server by
sending an e-mail to:
join-rsense_voc@listserv.tceq.state.tx.us.
Related Information
These web pages have more information on the use of
infrared-camera technology for research on VOC emissions,
aircraft-based monitoring, and the Texas Air Quality Field
Study:
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