Numac Introduces Ultra Violet Optical Screening Tool to australia (UVOST

Ultra Violet Optical Screening Tool (UVOST)


In line with our continuing efforts to be the industry leader in innovative technologies for contaminated site assessment,  Numac is excited to announces the acquisition of the Ultra Violet Optical Screening Tool (UVOST®), allowing for  in-situ real time delineation of Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (LNAPL) .

 The UVOST utilizes Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) technology. Petroleum hydrocarbons contain significant amounts of naturally fluorescent poly nuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).  Contact from ultraviolet (laser) light fired horizontally from a saffire window located at the base of a direct push rod, causes PAHs to fluoresce.  The LIF system then measures front-face fluorescence of the petroleum LNAPL continuoulsy as the probe is advanced into the soil.  PAH fluorescence of fuels/oils is directed back to the surface where it is analysed and displayed on a log generated in real time that displays a graph of UVOST signal vs. depth.

As with our  Membrane Interface Probe (MIP), the UVOST systems makes for a much more productive day in the field. Delineation LNAPL plumes can be conducted with speed and with complete confidence. There is a greatly reduced requirement of laboratory analysis, soil sampling and groundwater wells can be targeted to locations and depths that provide highly valuable information for building an accurate conceptual site model (CSM). 

Features of UVOST

  • UVOST will effectively detect a wide spectrum of petroleum products including  petrol, diesel, waste oil, hydraulic oil, crude oil, jet fuel, or crude oil.

  • Real time data. email logs back to stakeholders at the completion of each bore.

  • UVOST data can be incorporated into interactive modelling software to generate 2D/3D visualizations of the subsurface in real time for building detailed Conceptual Site Models (CSM).

  • No soil waste is generated in the collection of the data.

  • No wasted well installations or drill locations.

  • Safety. All equipment is small and lightweight there is little risk of manual handling injuries,  no rotating equipment and little exposure to potential contaminants.

  • No requirement to revisit site and fill "data gaps" from initial assessments.

  • Massively reduced potential for errors in sampling procedures,  sample preservation,  labeling or  bore logging.

Don't hesitate to give us a call if you would like to discuss how this technology could be utilized on your next project.

Capability update, HRSCDavid GarrattComment