Ultraviolet Induced Florescence Cone Penetration Testing for Characterization at Hydrocarbon Contaminated Sites for Natural Attenuation Studies

Abstract: This paper describes a specially designed device for contaminated site investigations, the ultra violet induced fluorescence (UVIF) cone. The UVIF cone consists of a full piezo-cone penetrometer that can record tip resistance, sleeve friction, pore pressure and ultra violet induced fluorescence. Aromatic compounds in petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) will fluoresce in the presence of ultraviolet light. The UVIF module is located above the conventional piezo-cone and consists of a high intensity UVIF light projected through a sapphire window out into the surrounding soil and a photo multiplier tube sensor to record the fluorescence in the surrounding soil. The magnitude of the fluorescence relates to the relative concentration of the aromatic PHCs present in the soil. Data are presented to illustrate the potential of the UVIF-CPT for delineating PHC contaminant extent in the subsurface at upstream oil and gas facilities