EVALUATION OF THE NEUTRAL XENON LASER FOR INFRARED MEASUREMENT OF NITROUS OXIDE FROM COMBUSTION SOURCES

NITROUS OXIDE IS AN IMPORTANT TRACE ATMOSPHERIC SPECIES WHICH PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE ATMOSPHERIC GREENHOUSE PROBLEM AS WELL AS THE DESTRUCTION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE. ITS CONCENTRATION IN THE ATMOSPHERE IS RISING DUE TO ANTHROPOGENIC SOURCES RELATED TO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND THE BURNING OF COAL AND HEAVY FUEL OIL. THIS PROPOSAL WOULD EVALUATE AND DEVELOP A NEW, RELIABLE, COST EFFECTIVE, RUGGED AND NONINTRUSIVE METHOD OF MEASURING N2O IN EITHER THE FREE ATMOSPHERE OR IN COMBUSTION EXHAUST GAS STREAMS. THE PROPOSED N2O MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE IS BASED ON A DUAL LINE INFRARED LASER EMISSION FROM A PULSE DISCHARGE THROUGH GASEOUS XENON. THIS MEASUREMENT METHOD COULD ALSO BE INTEGRATED WITH EDDY CORRELATION FLUX MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES TO YIELD BOTH CONCENTRATION AND VERTICAL FLUX MEASUREMENTS FOR N2O FROM AIRBORNE OR GROUND BASED PLATFORMS.