An ultraviolet optimal screening tool is a device that uses lasers to detect the presence of aromatic hydrocarbons in soil and water. It is utilized for onsite screening and can prepare and test a sample within just a few minutes. Below, learn more about this important tool and the benefits it provides those in the geosciences.

How an Ultraviolet Optimal Screening Tool Works

A UVOST employs ultraviolet fluorescence technology, which senses different aromatic hydrocarbons. Aromatic hydrocarbons generate and produce energy that can be detected at certain wavelengths. The probe of a UVOST sends a pulsing ultraviolet light down a fiber optic line inserted into the ground. The light reflects off a downhole mirror and moves out of a window on the side of the probe. If the light encounters an aromatic hydrocarbon, it will cause the hydrocarbon to excite and emit energy. Then, the light is switched off, and the energy from the hydrocarbon travels back to the probe as fluorescence. The process is now reversed. The fluorescence moves through the window on the side of the probe, back into the probe itself, and then up through the fiber optic line and finally to the surface. At the surface, the sample is analyzed, and the type of hydrocarbon can be determined.

Benefits of the Tool 

The main benefit of a UVOST is convenience. The entire process described above is typically completed within a matter of minutes, and when the sample is brought to the service, it can be tested with great speed and accuracy. The tool runs off of a battery pack, so it can be taken to virtually any testing site, no matter the remoteness of the location or the harshness of the terrain. It also saves time having to wait for laboratory samples to come back. It saves money as well, minimizing or eliminating the need to send samples to a lab for further testing.

To experience an ultraviolet optimal screening tool at your next testing site, contact GeoTek Alaska. Based in Anchorage, AK, they are a leader in geoscientific services. From soil and groundwater sampling to auger drilling and well monitoring, they provide environmental, geotechnical, and geophysical assessments using the latest technology. Call (907) 569-5900 or visit their website to request a quote or to schedule a consultation.