Advanced Fiber-Coupled Diode Laser Sensor for Calibration-Free 1f-WMS Determination of an Absorption Line Intensity

Abstract

A new scheme for a calibration-free diode laser absorption spectroscopy (DLAS) sensor for measuring the parameters of harsh zones is proposed. The key element of the scheme is a micro-prism retroreflector (MPRR). The MPRR facilitates an increase in the mechanical stability of the sensor and a decrease in the background thermal radiation in the hot areas of a tested zone. Reduction in the broadband thermal emission allowed the application of a differential logarithmic conversion (LC) technique for elimination of the residual amplitude modulation and other sources of non-selective attenuation of the probing laser beam. LC allows the use of a 1f-wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) detection scheme. Combination of LC and a 1f-WMS algorithm provided a new modification of calibration-free DLAS, which could be particularly useful for probing harsh zones with pronounced strong turbulence and high levels of acoustic and electrical noise. The influence of the experimental parameters and characteristics of the main electronic components of the recording and processing system on the accuracy of the integral line intensity determination is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The proposed optical scheme of a DLAS sensor and algorithm for the data processing allowed the integral intensity of an absorption line to be obtained. The potential for the scheme was exemplified with a single water vapor absorption line at 7185.6 cm–1. Simultaneous detection of several absorption lines and data processing using the developed algorithm provides the final goal of a DLAS sensor—determination of temperature and partial pressure of a test molecule in a probed gas volume. The developed scheme allows the spatial multiplexing of the radiation of different diode lasers (DLs), which can be used if various test molecules are to be detected, or absorption lines of a test molecule are detected over different wavelength intervals.

Temperature Measurements by Wavelength Modulation Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy with Logarithmic Conversion and 1f Signal Detection

“…The acoustic fluctuation and turbulence on the optical path of the probing DLs radiation complicated the focusing of the laser beam onto the input/output of the fiber m1 . To reduce these fluctuations, the probing beam was reflected back to the detection system by micro-prism retroreflector MPRR [ 31 ]. The multimode optical fiber m1 with a 50 μm core was also used to increase the collection efficiency of the reflected probing DL beams.…”

“…In the present publication, the log-WMS-1 f technique [ 31 ] is used for two DLs to minimize errors in measuring the temperature of a hot zone. For example, consider the algorithm of the integral absorbance evaluation for one line.…”

“…In our work [ 31 ], a version of the log-WMS technique was proposed using a combination of logarithmic conversion of the experimental data and modulation spectroscopy with the registration of the first harmonic of the absorption signal of the test molecule (log-WMS-1 f ). The proposed version of the TDLAS technique and the processing algorithm significantly simplify the procedure for the evaluation of the experimental data in comparison with the published versions of the WMS.…”

“…The proposed version of the TDLAS technique and the processing algorithm significantly simplify the procedure for the evaluation of the experimental data in comparison with the published versions of the WMS. In [ 31 ], the proposed technique was demonstrated by determining the integrated absorbance of a single absorption line of an H 2 O molecule at atmospheric pressure and room temperature.…”

“…In this paper, the possibility of using the technique developed in [ 31 ] to determine the temperature of a hot zone by measuring the first harmonic of the signal of two absorption lines of a test molecule was investigated. Two DLs were used in the range of 1.3–1.4 µm.…”