Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Energy SBIR Phase II: 20b

Description

Three major components—nitrogen, oxygen, and argon—make up 99.96% of Earth’s atmosphere, and measurement of the concentration/flux of these high concentration elements is crucial in studying changes in global climate and ecology. However, the current high-precision measurement technologies are better suited for detecting gases with low concentration, and a new technology needs to be developed for major components to measure gas concentration with a high precision in a response time <100 ms. General statement of how this problem or situation is being addressed. To solve the problem, this proposal calls for developing a new mass-spectrometry-based concentration measurement technology for atmospheric gases using a miniature array of quadrupole mass filters and a capillary tube, which will allow fast, portable, and accurate detection of high concentration atmospheric gases. Ambient gases passing through the capillary channels are ionized, filtered, and detected using mass spectroscopy techniques. This technology can measure multiple gas components virtually in real time, therefore allowing fast detection of the ratio between the target gases. What is to be done in Phase I? The work will include a demonstration of the feasibility of portable gas analysis technology that can measure concentration rapidly and reliably. The atmospheric concentration ratio of greenhouse gas components (carbon dioxide and water vapor) to argon and nitrogen will be measured to demonstrate the measurement accuracy of the device. Key components of the Phase II prototype, such as ionization source and quadrupole electrodes, will be designed and/or fabricated. Commercial applications and other benefits. Portable mass spectrometers can detect a small or large amount of target elements based on their chemical composition and mass. Due to the universal nature of the technology (i.e., detecting elements from mass), these devices can be used for various government and industrial chemical tracing/detection applications. A portable technology allowing continuous monitoring of environmental gases will be of great importance, as an increasing number of applications require instantaneous diagnosis and situation awareness. For example, the proposed technology may replace military and police K-9 teams, offering cost-effective and flexible solutions for gas tracing. Gas monitoring is widely used in industrial process monitoring, for example in the semiconductor or pharmaceutical industries. Widespread adoption of these ultrasensitive mass spectrometer devices has been limited by their size, weight, and price. Therefore, a low-cost, portable solution would have a wide impact in various industries.