SBIR Phase I: Towards Precision Ultra-Portable 13C/12C CO2 Atmospheric Isotopic Ratio Monitors Using Quantum Cascade Laser Spectroscopy

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目的重点是开发一种概念验证的超便携式二氧化碳同位素比率监测器。碳同位素比率监测对于辨别二氧化碳的自然与人为排放源至关重要。对不同碳同位素的广泛测量将为建立更准确的气候变化模型提供重要步骤。然而，同位素比率监测是出了名的困难，即使是基于质谱的金标准气体传感器，也可能占用整个房间，需要熟练的技术人员操作。第一阶段将探索使用新型高效红外量子级联激光器（qcl）开发适合电池供电，易于使用的激光光谱CO2同位素比率监测器的传感器组件。这项工作的更广泛/商业影响旨在改善大气监测、气候变化分析和碳捕获/封存/核查。碳封存地点需要在捕获到地下地质特征时进行细粒度的泄漏检测，而同位素比监测将大大提高这种检测。此外，这种碳同位素比传感器产生的数据将回答许多与燃烧化石燃料对人类影响有关的关键问题。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project focuses on the development of a proof-of-concept ultra-portable CO2 isotope ratio monitor. Carbon isotope ratio monitoring is essential for discerning natural versus anthropogenic emissions sources of CO2. Widespread measurement of differentiated carbon isotopes will provide major steps towards building more accurate models of climate change. However, isotopic ratio monitoring is notoriously difficult, even for the gold standard gas sensors based on mass spectroscopy, which can take up an entire room and require skilled technicians to operate. Phase I will explore the development of sensor components suitable for battery powered, easy-to-use, laser spectroscopic CO2 isotope ratio monitors using novel high-efficiency infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs).The broader/commercial impact of this work targets improved atmospheric monitoring, climate change analysis, and carbon capture/sequestration/verification. Carbon sequestration sites will require fine grained leak detection when captured into underground geological features, and isotopic ratio monitoring will allow such detection to be greatly improved. Additionally, data generated by such carbon isotope ratio sensors will answer many critical questions related to the human impact of burning fossil fuels.