PASS uses acoustic technology to quickly interrogate sealed containers to identify liquid and bulk solid contents, including chemical warfare agents, petroleum products, industrial reagents, and consumer products.
Without opening containers:
- Confirms that container contents match disclosures on shipping manifests.
- Detects hidden compartments and submerged contraband in shipping containers.
- Sorts containers by content into “like” and “unlike” groups for rapid processing.
- Determines fill levels in containers, confirming quantities shipped and received.
The device makes these determinations without opening sealed containers, thereby protecting inspectors and the public from disastrous exposure to lethal or otherwise hazardous materials and vapors.
How PASS Works
The PASS device employs a small probe against the outside of a container to deliver an ultrasonic pulse and receive its echoes. The time-of-return and amplitude of these acoustic echoes are automatically measured and processed to determine the speed of sound and the acoustic attenuation of the liquid or solid under examination. These physical properties are then input to algorithms developed to allow for real-time discrimination for the liquid or solid of interest. PASS is a handheld, battery-operated system designed for fast and easy use in the field under all weather conditions.
Current PASS Applications
Cargo Inspection, Screening and Sorting – PASS can significantly increase the number of containers inspected and the rate of inspection throughput at all ports of entry. It verifies shipments against disclosure documents and identifies suspect containers without disrupting the flow of commercial goods across borders. Fuel Compliance and Security – PASS confirms that fuel tanker trucks are carrying the declared load and discerns whether they are carrying contraband. The device discriminates between various distillate cuts of fuels and also determines whether one fuel type has been blended with another liquid. PASS ensures collection of correct fuel excise tax and detects whether motor fuels have been tampered with in ways that suggest deadly intent. Quality Control – PASS monitors chemical compound mixtures in industrial repair processing tanks, ensuring the integrity of tank chemistry and precluding the need for labor-intensive and potentially dangerous manual titration testing of these hazardous materials.
