Automated analyzer for aircraft measurements of atmospheric methane and total hydrocarbons

An automated methane/total hydrocarbon analyzer is presented, which can produce alternate methane/total hydrocarbon measurements every 7 seconds to provide the spatial resolution required for regional hydrocarbon measurements at aircraft speeds. The construction and sampling techniques developed for the aircraft mounted system are discussed. A technique to periodically measure atmosphere oxygen is incorporated into the analyzer to ensure accurate hydrocarbon measurements, and a data collection methodology is developed to minimize errors resulting from changes in flame ionization detector sensitivity at different altitudes. Aircraft data acquired at the 1979 Southeastern Virginia Urban Plume Study are also presented, which illustrate the application of the instrument to a troposphere pollution plume.