November 2021 – The LDI ROW: Early detection of oil on water

Reliable oil spill detection on water surfaces – contactless, autonomous and in real time.

Time and time again we hear about the devastating consequences of water contamination by oil, but mostly only about the larger disasters. As, for example, most recently at the beginning of October in California, where almost 94 thousand liters of oil (CNN) leaked from a pipeline in Orange County. The damage of this incident could also have been minimized with early detection.

The ROW (Remote Optical Watcher) from Laser Diagnostic Instruments is such an early detection system for oil spills on water surfaces which operates autonomously. It detects oil films as thin as 1 µm and can be installed at a distance of up to 10 m from the water surface. The light-based system enables detection without contact with the water surface and thus offers the possibility of low-maintenance continuous operation – day and night, even under extreme outdoor conditions. Depending on the application, the LDI ROW is available in either an aluminum or stainless steel version, and an ATEX-protected version is also available.

In addition to protecting the world’s oceans and coasts from oil spills, there are a large number of other uses in a wide variety of industries where early detection systems such as the LDI ROW are of great benefit. These include harbor basins, boat refueling stations, waterworks, sewers, oil tank farms, refineries and petrochemical plants, chemical and steel plants, stormwater retention ponds, and many more.

For further information please visit our product page: Link

Many illustrative photos of the ROW in various applications at installation sites around the world can be found on the manufacturer’s website: Link

Other interesting use cases, from a power plant in South Korea to a shipping port in Latvia, can also be seen there: Link

Are you interested in our products or have further questions? Contact us!