SAW DETECTOR FOR FREON VAPORS

A METHOD WILL BE INVESTIGATED FOR THE DETECTION OF FREON VAPORS IN THE SHIPBOARD ENVIRONMENT. THE METHOD UTILIZES A SOLID-STATE, SURFACE ACOUSTIC WAVE (SAW) OSCILLATOR THAT HAS BEEN COATED WITH A SORBENT FOR HALOCARBON VAPORS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY IS TO OPTIMIZE THE SENSOR'S CHEMICALLY SELECTIVE COATING FOR THE DETECTION OF FREON, TEST THE PERFORMANCE OF THE DEVICE, AND TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES A RELIABLE ALARM WHEN HIGH FREON CONCENTRATIONS EXIST. A SAW SENSOR ARRAY WITH PUMPS, VALVES, DRYER, AND MICROCOMPUTER DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM WILL BE FABRICATED AND THE DEVICES COATED WITH THE CANDIDATE SORBENTS. THE COATED SENSOR ARRAYS WILL BE EXPOSED TO HALOCARBON VAPORS AND THEIR PERFORMANCE EVALUATED TO ESTABLISH DETECTION LIMITS, RESPONSE TIMES AND SELECTIVES. A FINAL REPORT OF THE FINDINGS WILL BE PREPARED.