Novel Sensor for Industrial Process Monitoring

Effective monitoring and control of steel manufacturing plants, industrial furnaces, boilers, incinerators, and other combustion systems is limited by the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, speed, and reliability of available sensors. As a result, industrial high-temperature processes release excessive toxic emissions, pollutants, and greenhouse gases and consume excessive energy during operation. This project will develop a novel, robust instrument capable of accurately measuring several critical exhaust emissions in real time, with unprecedented speed and reliability. The instrument will be based on tunable mid-infrared lasers. Open-path absorption diagnostics will be developed to provide unprecedented speed, specificity, and robustness for the monitoring and control of industrial efficiency, unwanted pollutants, and greenhouse gases. In Phase I, the instrument will be demonstrated in a steel manufacturing plant operating under realistic conditions. In Phase II, the system will be deployed for long-term measurements and incorporated into a closed-loop system for real-time process control. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The technology should lead to the development of instrumentation for monitoring combustion emissions (e.g., from power plants, furnaces, boilers, and incinerators); for the monitoring and control of industrial processes; for monitoring atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gases; and for automotive engine diagnostics.