Geometrical Properties of Spilled Oil on Seawater Detected Using a LiDAR Sensor

We report on a small-size light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor, which offers the possibility of being used in the field during oil spill incidents. In the present study, we develop an algorithm that can distinguish between seawater and oil through the use of a laser at 905 nm wavelength. We investigate the ability of the sensor to detect three different oil types (light crude, bunker A, and bunker C) through experiments and analyze the differences between the types and volumes of spilled oil (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 50 mL). The results showed that our algorithm for detecting oil spills over seawater was successful: the LiDAR sensor was able to detect different oil types and volumes. Spilled oil area coverage ranged by more than 50% of the detected area, and the viscosity of bunker C oil reached up to 73%. In addition, the experimental oil spills were mainly formed of oil films of 1 mm and 2 mm thicknesses, which confirmed geometrical properties. Follow-up research should further investigate the characteristics of oil slick thickness measured by the LiDAR system and undertake field tests to assess the feasibility of using the LiDAR system in pollution incidents.