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Hollow Optical Waveguide Sensor for Environmental Monitoring--Arete Associates, 333 North Wilmot Road, Sutie 450, Tucson, AZ 85711-2631; 520-571-8660
Dr. Gregory J. Fetzer, Principal Investigator
Dr. John W. McLean, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-98ER82533
Amount: $750,000
An optical trace gas sensor that could significantly reduce the costs associated with sensitive detection and quantification of components in a gaseous sample is needed for environmental measurements. This project will develop this low-cost gas sensor, based on a perforated hollow waveguide (PHW), a semiconductor laser, and wavelength modulation spectroscopy. The sensor will have a rapid response time (less than 1 second), low minimum detection limits (typically in the low parts-per-billion range depending on the gas). It will also be more compact than other sensors with similar sensitivity and will have a cost designed to meet market requirements. During Phase I, the feasibility of the PHW sensor was demonstrated, exhibiting trace gas measurements for the first time. A hollow waveguide perforation technique and a waveguide coating technique were also demonstrated effectively and found to be compatible with each other. Phase II will develop a commercially viable sensor that provides sensitive, real-time detection and quantification of trace levels of nitric oxide (NO). Alternative sensor wavelengths will be investigated as well, in order to demonstrate measurements of NH3, CO2, and H2O. In addition, fabrication and testing of prototypes will take place, both in the laboratory and in the field. A combination of laboratory experimentation and modeling will then be used to optimize the performance of the PHW gas sensors. Finally, a demonstration of a PHW sensor, using a laser operating in the mid-infrared range, will be conducted.
Commercial Application and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Commercial applications for the sensor should include ambient air, continuous emissions, and hazardous waste site monitoring, along with numerous other applications such as water quality assessment, industrial and chemical process control, combustion diagnostics, breath analysis for legal purposes, and medical diagnosis and treatment.