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Abstract

A mobile laboratory incorporating the techniques of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and cone penetration test (CPT) has been successfully developed and field-tested by members of Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). The LIF/CPT system consists of a custom designed stainless steel probe assembly incorporating a bundle of fiber optics with low absorption in the ultraviolet range. A pulsed 266nm laser source is coupled into one of the optical fibers and is utilized for exciting fluorescence in soil targets. The excitation laser pulse carried through the fiber optics interacts with the soil through a sapphire window placed on the probe head; the emitted fluorescence is collected and channeled back to a detection system through a separate fiber. The probe is capable of reaching a potential maximum depth of 50m. Among the detection systems that have been used for the system were a single and a multi-channel array photomultiplier tube based systems. The entire lab facility is installed inside a CPT 20-ton vehicle. The mobile laboratory is referred to as the Environmental Unit for Measuring Subsurface Oil Contaminants (EUMSOC), and it has undergone an extensive series of field tests at different sites in the oil-contaminated areas of north Kuwait.

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