Fiber Optic Sensor for Industrial Process Measurement and Control--MetroLaser, Inc., 18010 Skypark Circle, Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92614-6428; 949-553-0688
Dr. Peter A. DeBarber, Principal Investigator
Dr. Cecil F. Hess, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-99ER82828
Amount: $749,966

An increasingly competitive global marketplace requires energy- and waste-intensive industries to improve efficiency while also generating fewer pollutants and other wastes. Achieving the necessary improvements requires improved in-process chemical sensor technology that will provide faster and more accurate measurements of key parameters. Existing monitoring instrumentation is either difficult to use, expensive, or has insufficient time response. This project will develop advanced diode laser-based fiber optic sensors for direct, rapid, and quantitative measurement of gaseous species and temperature in industrial processes. In Phase I, detailed computer simulations were run for various industrial applications. Spectral absorption characteristics that show the greatest promise were identified. A laboratory bread-board system was designed and built, and feasibility experiments were carried out which demonstrated the quantitative capabilities of the approach. In Phase II, a robust prototype will be designed and built for a selected DOE Industry-of-the-Future application. This will be tested in a laboratory environment and then demonstrated at a DOE-approved site.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: A compact, rugged, and inexpensive fiber optic chemical sensors for real-time in situ measurements of gas Temperature and chemicals will be attractive in industrial applications where conventional monitoring systems are unsatisfactory (e.g., too large, expensive, slow or not versatile enough).