Lidar Range and Context Imagery Aids in Leak Pinpointing, Especially at Night

The 3-D range (distance) information inherent in a LiDAR measurement allows the QLM gas camera to determine leak origin better than a 2-D image can. Use of 3-D models of complex facilities (digital twins) combined with 3-D LiDAR point cloud data and machine learning can even automate this process of attributing leaks to specific equipment components. Below, there is equipment at ranges of ~37m and ~45m around the leak plume origin. The the highest concentration-pathlength points in the point cloud are at the plume origin, and so their range  corresponds to the range of the equipment that is leaking.