SBIR Phase II: Fiber Optic Based Nitrogen Oxides Sensor

该SBIR第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是使用一种独特的方法来增强光学监测NOx的能力，该方法与目前商业部署的电压偏置固体电解质扩散技术有着根本的不同。NSF第一阶段的活动揭示了现有传感器技术的缺点，包括响应时间慢和高达90%的“垃圾数据”，OEM和监管机构必须解决这些问题。第二阶段的工作包括改进第一阶段的原型，其中观察到接近瞬时的NOx检测到约200 ppm。氮氧化物是一种主要的污染物，也是酸雨、地表臭氧和烟雾形成的前体。全球监管机构正在将氮氧化物法规推向越来越严格的水平，从而为现实世界的排放提出了更大的挑战。为了应对这些法规，工业必须部署后处理技术，包括选择性催化还原系统和稀燃NOx捕集器。这两种技术都将受益于更便宜，更强大，响应更快的NOx传感器。随着持续的成功，新型氮氧化物传感器具有通过比当前氮氧化物检测技术更准确和更快的检测来显著降低排放水平的潜力，从而允许内燃机直接利用检测反馈来增强排放控制。这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将继续进行基于光学的氮氧化物（NOx）的原型设计和表征传感器技术不是基于当今市场上发现的氧传感器衍生物。我们将通过持续的实验和测试，进一步优化新型热催化NOx传感机制所需的设计和材料。增加催化传感元件的数量和类型并将其集成到现有的OEM包装中，将使我们能够测量NOx以及包括氨（NH3）在内的其他气体。传感器校准方程和响应查找表将有助于验证我们的NOx检测新方法，并获得成功的结果，从而为基于这种差分检测架构的新型传感器奠定基础。目前的汽车NOx传感器不满足在这些参数至关重要的工业中使用的响应时间、精度和价格要求。第二阶段将优化光学传感机制，计划的实验设计将有助于将这项技术改进为可靠和强大的设备。除了NOx和NH3，我们的“无机味蕾”还可以测量一氧化碳和未燃烧的碳氢化合物浓度，这是测量过程的副产品，因此为任何燃烧排放控制应用提供了额外的实用性。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this SBIR Phase II project will be the enhanced ability to monitor NOx optically using a unique approach that is fundamentally different from voltage biased solid electrolyte diffusion technology deployed commercially today. NSF Phase I activities brought to light the shortcomings of existing sensor technology, including slow response time and up to 90% "garbage data" that OEMs and regulatory authorities have to work around. Phase II efforts include improvement of Phase I prototypes where near instantaneous NOx detection to ~200 ppm was observed. NOx are a major pollutant and precursor to acid rain, surface ozone and smog formation. Worldwide regulatory bodies are driving NOx regulations to increasingly stringent levels, thus presenting even greater challenges for real-world emissions. Addressing these regulations, industry must deploy after-treatment technologies including selective catalyst reduction systems and lean NOx traps. Both of these technologies will benefit from a less expensive, more robust, and faster responding NOx sensor. With continued success, the new NOx sensor has the potential to significantly reduce emissions levels through a more accurate and much faster detection than current NOx detection techniques thus allowing the internal combustion engine to directly employ detection feedback to enhance emission controls.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will continue the prototyping and characterization of an optical based Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) sensor technology not based on oxygen sensor derivatives found in the market today. We will further optimize the design and materials needed for a novel thermo-catalytic NOx sensing mechanism through continued experimentation and testing. Increasing the number and type of catalytic sensing elements and integrating them into existing OEM packaging will allow us to measure NOx as well as other gases including ammonia (NH3). Sensor calibration equations and response lookup-tables will help validate our new method for NOx detection with successful results creating the foundation of a new category of sensors based on this differential detection architecture. Current automotive NOx sensors do not meet response time, accuracy and price requirements as used in the industry where such parameters are critical. The Phase II will optimize the optical sensing mechanism, and planned designs of experiment will help refine this technology into a reliable and robust device. Besides NOx and NH3, our "inorganic taste buds" also derive carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon concentration as a byproduct of the measurement process, thus providing additional utility for any combustion emissions control application.