Differential Absorbance Spectrometer for Carbon Dioxide Isotope Measurement

The U.S. Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI), overseen by the DOE, has the goal of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10 years. However, the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are not well understood. Accurate monitoring of the isotopic ratios of carbon dioxide is essential to improve this understanding, yet existing instruments cannot meet the combined specifications for precision, unattended field operation, and cost. This project will develop a new near-infrared optical sensor platform that will provide a significant advance in the development of rugged, low-cost optical instrumentation for the measurement of isotopic ratios of carbon dioxide. The approach will address issues beyond performance, including the ability to be deployed in widespread field operations over extended periods of time. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Federal benefits include rugged, low-cost, field-deployable instruments for the rapid and precise measurements of important gases (H2O, CO2, CH4, etc.), which will improve the prediction and modeling of atmospheric dynamics and climate change. The methodology also should be applicable to the identification of chemical agents, needed by the Department of Homeland Security. Potential private sector uses include gas leak sensing of pipelines, fire detectors for commercial and private aircraft, combustor feedback control sensors, and process control sensors for the energy and chemical production industries.