Split Laser Sensor for Harsh Environment Sensing Applications

There is a significant need for lower cost and reliable sensors to continuously monitor indoor and outdoor environmental quality. Such monitoring is critical for evaluating the state and integrity of natural and man-made systems, including groundwater, atmosphere, vadose zone/soil composition, and a variety of emission sources including volcanoes, industrial sites, landfills, oil/gas production. Environmental characterization of water, air and soil are important to a number of diverse stakeholders including industrial operators, landowners, municipalities and regulatory agencies charged with monitoring emissions as well as the general public. To address this problem and opportunity, we shall start with and take the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s innovative carbon management and fossil-based energy patented monitoring approach/technology and expand and enhance this approach/technology to address a wider temperature and pressure range of field applications with increased and enhanced performance and functionality in real time that is easy to use and rapidly provides the needed information. Design, research, develop, implement, characterize and test prototypes including in actual field use and provide a report summarizing the results obtained including for the proof of feasibility prototype to be performed as part of the Phase I effort for this Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer program. Iterate and make improvements and enhancements to the prototypes and approach. There are a number of commercial, technical, economic, social, and other benefits to the public including reduced energy/power consumption; fundamental advances in science; the ability for commercial and other entities to easily and rapidly assess the quality of water supplies; detect contaminants to minimize impacts and associated costs; elemental analysis and chemical fingerprinting of rocks, minerals, natural and contaminated soils, fingernails, food products, and atmospheric particulate matter. The public will also benefit from improved, enhanced affordable water, air and soil monitoring and increasing USA manufacturing.