A pulsed photoacoustic system for the spectroscopy and monitoring of hydrocarbon liquids using stimulated Raman scattering in a silica fibre as a near-infrared source

Raman scattering in an optical fibre has been utilized as the near-infrared source for a pulsed photoacoustic spectroscopic study of liquid hydrocarbons. An open-cell system is described and the performance criteria for practical photoacoustic instrumentation are discussed. Results show that a typical signal-to-noise ratio of 50 may be achieved, which makes this system suitable for the detection of small concentrations of hydrocarbons in liquids. The photoacoustic system has been used to measure concentrations both of dissolved and of dispersed hydrocarbons and the results of this study indicate the practical potential for novel open-cell photoacoustic instrumentation for the detection of crude oil in water using near-infrared wavelengths in a spectral region for which suitable diode lasers are available.