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Fugro Geosciences Rapid Optical Screen Tool (ROST)

Rapid Optical Screen Tool (ROST™)

Fugro Geosciences can provide solutions to your assessment needs with our Rapid Optical Screening Tool (ROST™) and related site characterization technologies. ROST™ is a laser-induced fluorescence sensor deployed by Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) equipment that characterizes stratigraphy and petroleum hydrocarbons in soils. This process is accomplished continuously, in real-time and without collecting samples. ROST™ can now also be deployed by Fugro's Geoprobe ® units.

ROST™ FEATURES

Wide Application
Gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel bunker oil, lubricating oils, crude oil, coal tar, creosote and other petroleum materials containing aromatic hydrocarbons in soil.
Source Delineation
ROST™ is the optimal technology for delineating hydrocarbon sources, from free-phase conditions down to residual concentrations in soils, both above and below the water table. Traditional methods have limited capability to identify the presence of "smear zone" residual hydrocarbons and subsequent remediation often has limited effectiveness.
Product Differentiation
Product types can be identified in real-time, aiding source delineation.
Speed
Typically produces more than 300 linear feet of continuous testing per day which drastically reduces field investigation time.
Waste Free Testing
Deployment by CPT elimates soil cuttings and enhances worker safety.
Regulatory Validation
ROST™ is the only commercially-available sensor of its type to have its performance validated by the EPA..

How Does It Work?

ROST™ uses a state-of-the art laser to produce light that is pulsed down a fiber optic cable to a sapphire window on the side of the CPT probe. The pulsed light causes petroleum hydrocarbons in the soil to emit fluorescence. The emitted fluorescence travels through a second cable to a detection system within the CPT work area. Relative concentration and a spectral product fingerprint are presented continuously in real-time. Since fluorescence intensity is proportional to petroleum hydrocarbon concentration, ROST™ can effectively delineate the extent of affected soils.

More About EPA Validation.

ROST™ was evaluated by EPA's Consortium for Site Characterization Technology (CSCT) in 1996. The resulting EPA report concluded that "all developers' claims were met." Further, the "system was demonstrated to be an effective, rapid in-situ field screening method for characterizing the subsurface" and "should meet the expectations of regulators or site owners interested in compliance with EPA's sampling guidance." "The ROST™ system appears to be capable of meeting EPA's guidance of performance criteria for comparison of laboratory versus screening data."