SBIR Phase I: Development of a High Precision, Autonomous Quantum Cascade Laser-Based Detector for Methane and Nitrous Oxide

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目是开发一个紧凑的，自主的，高精度的监测器，用于强有力的温室气体，甲烷和一氧化二氮。本提案是在电子学专题的地球科学仪器分专题（分专题E）下提交的。目前，目标分子的检测与连续铅盐二极管激光器。这些激光器需要低温冷却，并且由于缺乏长期稳定性，需要训练有素的操作员。量子级联（QC）激光器在光谱上是稳定的，并且当它们被脉冲化时可以在室温附近操作。这允许设计紧凑、坚固、廉价和自主的分子监测器。该系统进一步简化了检测甲烷和一氧化二氮与一个单一的QC激光器使用近1300毫米的几乎一致的过渡。第一阶段的研究目标将是证明，所需的灵敏度和特异性，可以获得在这个光谱区域使用脉冲QC激光和非低温红外探测器。第一阶段的研究将为第二阶段建造的仪器提供初步设计。由此产生的交钥匙监测器将满足以敏感和具有成本效益的方式监测这些重要物种的广泛需求。这项研究的潜在商业应用包括：1）试图量化全球温室气体源和汇的研究市场，2）温室气体减排交易信用市场，这需要这些减排的定量文件，3）能够识别和定位天然气分配系统中的泄漏的商品和服务的市场，以及4）需要在实验室和现场环境中量化甲烷和/或一氧化二氮浓度或排放的各种研究市场。

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop a compact and autonomous, high precision monitor for the potent greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide. This proposal is submitted under the Geoscience Instrumentation subtopic (subtopic E) of the Electronics topic. The target molecules are currently detected with cw lead salt diode lasers. These lasers require cryogenic cooling and, due to their lack of long term stability, a highly trained operator. Quantum cascade (QC) lasers are spectroscopically stable and can be operated near room temperature when they are pulsed. This allows the design of compact, rugged, inexpensive and autonomous molecular monitors. This system is further simplified by detecting both methane and nitrous with a single QC laser using nearly coincident transitions near 1300 mm . The Phase I research objectives will be to demonstrate that the required sensitivity and specificity can be obtained in this spectral region using a pulsed QC laser and non-cryogenic infrared detectors. The Phase I research will produce a preliminary design for an instrument to be constructed during Phase II. The resulting turn-key monitor will address the widespread need to monitor these important species in a sensitive and cost-effective manner.Potential commercial applications for this research include 1) the research market attempting to quantify the worldwide sources and sinks of greenhouse gases, 2) the market for trading credits for greenhouse gas emission reductions which requires quantitative documentation of these reductions, 3) the market for goods and services able to identify and locate leaks in natural gas distribution systems and 4) various research markets needing to quantify methane and/or nitrous oxide concentrations or emissions in both laboratory and field settings.