SYSTEM UTILIZING A NARROW COLLIMATED BEAM OF OPTICAL RADIATION TO DETECT THE PRESENCE OF A HYDROCARBON GAS

A device for detecting the presence of a hydrocarbon gas includes a an optical assembly and a digital analyzer. The optical assembly includes a laser source and an optical receiver, which may be an infrared optical receiver. The laser source is configured to output a beam towards a target, while the optical receiver is configured to receive a reflected portion of the beam reflected from the target. The optical receiver outputs a waveform to the digital analyzer, the waveform being based on the reflected portion of the beam reflected from the target that is receiver by the optical receiver. The digital analyzer is configured to receive the waveform from the optical receiver and determine if a hydrocarbon gas is present between the optical assembly and the target. The beam outputted by laser source of the optical assembly may be a collimated beam.