Bozeman, Mont. - An efficient new leak detection system that will make workplace conditions safer for workers in repair, overhaul, and production facilities is being jointly developed and evaluated by Dakota Technologies, Inc. (DTI) of Fargo, North Dakota, and the U.S. Navy.

The TechLink Center, a technology transfer organization located in Bozeman, and the Navy's Office of Technology Transfer helped to facilitate the partnership between DTI and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Centers (SPAWAR) in San Diego, Calif., to evaluate the effectiveness of the new real-time laser technology.

The system that DTI and the Navy SPAWAR are jointly developing uses solid state laser technology to test the air outside a fuel tank. The laser sensor can detect even the tiniest quantities of hydrocarbons, which are released by most common petroleum-based fuels. The system differs from other methods currently in use because it does not require adding tracers to the fuel tank or removing the contents of the tank to test for leaks, which represents a significant savings in cost and labor.

"The method is of such extremely high sensitivity, it can easily pinpoint leaks which are so small that only vapor is escaping," said Greg Gillispie, president of DTI. "The real-time response and very high spatial resolution enables the system to detect leaks in a matter of seconds." With volatile or toxic compounds, rapid detection is paramount to the safety of workers.

DTI and Navy SPAWAR technologists are jointly developing and testing an engineering prototype that has the potential to become a commercial product. Spin-off applications for the leak detection technology abound, Gillispie said. Pipeline leak detection, environmental monitoring, and occupational health or indoor air quality assessments are all possible applications the company will explore.

TechLink is located at Montana State University in Bozeman and funded by the Department of Defense and NASA to link companies in Montana and the surrounding region with federal laboratories for joint research and technology transfer. Its overriding purpose is to contribute to the success of both technology-based companies and key resource-based industries in the state and region.

CONTACTS:

Dr. Will Swearingen
MSU TechLink
(406) 994-7704
wds@montana.edu

Gregory Gillispie
Dakota Technologies Inc.
(701) 237-4908

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