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Photoacoustic Multicomponent Analyzer for Atmospheric Compounds

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX10RA50P
Agency Tracking Number: 095207
Amount: $99,826.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: S1.08
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2009
Award Year: 2010
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2010-01-29
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2010-07-29
Small Business Information
6992 columbia gateway drive ste 200
columbia, MD 21046-2985
United States
DUNS: 123310083
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Guangkun Li
 Principal Investigator
 (443) 539-3111
 homer@sesi-md.com
Business Contact
 Richard Lee
Title: Chief financial officer
Phone: (443) 539-1742
Email: rlee@apmaldi.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

We propose to build a compact, rugged field-deployable laser photoacoustic spectrometric (LPAS) sensor for continuous, real-time measurements of multiple chemical components, and perform field tests to qualify it for dynamic monitoring of Water Vapor, Carbon Dioxide (12CO2 and 13CO2), Carbon Monoxide, Methane, Ozone, Reactive and Trace Gases.

Our sensor will be based on our laboratory LPAS instrument (at technology readiness level TRL-4)that has already demonstrated successful alcohol detection in presence of water vapor. It utilizes a tunable infrared laser (interband cascade or quantum cascade), a high sensitivity photoacoustic cell with an air sampler and an efficient algorithm to rapidly complete high sensitivity, selective multi-component measurements in under a minute. In Phase I we will carry out extensive laboratory tests of LPAS with standard samples, and a comprehensive analysis of the sensor performance using a model to determine the limit of detection (LOD) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the sensor and establish its feasibility. A rugged and portable prototype sensor (TRL-5) will be built in Phase II. It will be field tested in open environment with artificially loaded target gases (TRL-6) and characterize the sensor.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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