AMETHYST RESEARCH INC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 18a

Description

Significant improvements in the technology to monitor greenhouse gases are required. In particular there is need to be able to simultaneously monitor both small (~m) and large area sites (~ 100km) and in rugged/inaccessible terrain. For example, sensitive, accurate, and real-time monitoring of hydrobiogeochemical processes are needed in subsurface environments, including soils, the rhizosphere, sediments, the vadose-zone and ground waters. In these challenging environments, highly selective, sensitive, in-situ greenhouse gas imaging devices are ideally needed for low-cost field deployment in remote locations. In this SBIR program Amethyst Research along with their partner InView, and in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory propose to develop an infrared greenhouse gas imaging camera that can directly image and quantify the gases of relevance to hydrologic and biogeochemical studies such as CH4, CO2 and N2O. More advanced designs of this camera could image and quantify multiple gases and their isotopologues simultaneously. In Phase I of this Program Amethyst will design, fabricate and test a resonant cavity enhanced photodetector optimized for operation around 3.3 microns, the wavelength of methane absorption. Amethyst will work with Dr. James Stegen of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to establish base line sensitivity requirements for the imaging system. Amethyst will also partner with InView to lay out integration plans of the ultra sensitive resonant cavity infrared detector into InView’s camera system in Phase II. Amethyst Research, in collaboration with InView, and Pacific Northeastern National Laboratory is developing an infrared imaging system in order to detect and quantify greenhouse gas emissions in order to better understand their life cycle and role in global warming. Commercial Application and Other Benefits: Outside of hydrobiogeochemical research, systems of this type could be used for sequestration monitoring and surveying of oil production fields to identify and fix methane leaks. Other applications include, Spectroscopy, Gas Detection, Chemical Analysis, and Medical monitoring of exhaled gases