Laser absorption spectroscopy isotopic gas analyzer
First Claim
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1. A gas analyzer system for measuring an isotopic ratio of a gaseous chemical species by an optical absorption spectroscopy method, the system comprises:
- an optical cavity containing a gas with the chemical species to be measured;
a laser optically coupled to an optical cavity;
a detector system for measuring absorption of laser light by the gas; and
an intelligence module comprising a processor adapted to determine a concentration ratio of two different isotopologues, wherein rotational-vibrational spectra of the chemical species are measured at least within two non-overlapping spectral intervals separated by a minimum of 50 nm between any two spectral points from each of the spectral intervals and selected in such a way that a first rotational-vibrational line of a first rotational-vibrational band of a less abundant isotopologue is located in a first spectral interval, and a second rotational-vibrational line of a second rotational-vibrational band of a more abundant isotopologue is located in a second spectral interval, and a line intensity of the strongest line of the first rotational-vibrational band of the less abundant isotopologue is two or more times stronger than a line intensity of the strongest line of the second rotational-vibrational band of the more abundant isotopologue, and a ratio of an absorption spectrum of the less abundant isotopologue to the sum of absorption spectra of all other isotopologues of the chemical species weighted by mole-fraction abundance figures exceeds two somewhere in the first spectral interval, and a ratio of an absorption spectrum of the more abundant isotopologue to the sum of absorption spectra of all other isotopologues of the chemical species weighted by mole-fraction abundance figures exceeds two somewhere in the second spectral interval.
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Abstract
The present invention provides systems and methods for measuring the isotope ratios of one or more trace gases based on optical absorption spectroscopy methods. The system includes an optical cavity containing a gas. The system also includes a laser optically coupled with the optical cavity, and a detector system for measuring absorption of laser light by the gas in the cavity.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A gas analyzer system for measuring an isotopic ratio of a gaseous chemical species by an optical absorption spectroscopy method, the system comprises:
- an optical cavity containing a gas with the chemical species to be measured;
a laser optically coupled to an optical cavity;
a detector system for measuring absorption of laser light by the gas; and
an intelligence module comprising a processor adapted to determine a concentration ratio of two different isotopologues, wherein rotational-vibrational spectra of the chemical species are measured at least within two non-overlapping spectral intervals separated by a minimum of 50 nm between any two spectral points from each of the spectral intervals and selected in such a way that a first rotational-vibrational line of a first rotational-vibrational band of a less abundant isotopologue is located in a first spectral interval, and a second rotational-vibrational line of a second rotational-vibrational band of a more abundant isotopologue is located in a second spectral interval, and a line intensity of the strongest line of the first rotational-vibrational band of the less abundant isotopologue is two or more times stronger than a line intensity of the strongest line of the second rotational-vibrational band of the more abundant isotopologue, and a ratio of an absorption spectrum of the less abundant isotopologue to the sum of absorption spectra of all other isotopologues of the chemical species weighted by mole-fraction abundance figures exceeds two somewhere in the first spectral interval, and a ratio of an absorption spectrum of the more abundant isotopologue to the sum of absorption spectra of all other isotopologues of the chemical species weighted by mole-fraction abundance figures exceeds two somewhere in the second spectral interval. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- an optical cavity containing a gas with the chemical species to be measured;
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10. A gas analyzer system for measuring an isotopic ratio of a gaseous chemical species by an optical absorption spectroscopy method, the system comprises:
- an optical cell containing a gas with the chemical species to be measured;
a laser configured to emit light into an optical cell;
a detector system for measuring absorption of laser light by the gas; and
an intelligence module comprising a processor adapted to determine a concentration ratio of two different isotopologues, wherein rotational-vibrational spectra of the chemical species are measured at least within two non-overlapping spectral intervals separated by a minimum of 50 nm between any two spectral points from each of the spectral intervals and selected in such a way that a first rotational-vibrational line of a first rotational-vibrational band of a less abundant isotopologue is located in a first spectral interval, and a second rotational-vibrational lines of a second rotational-vibrational band of a more abundant isotopologue is located in a second spectral interval, and a line intensity of the strongest line of the first rotational-vibrational band of the less abundant isotopologue is two or more times stronger than a line intensity of the strongest line of the second rotational-vibrational band of the more abundant isotopologue, and a ratio of an absorption spectrum of the less abundant isotopologue to the sum of absorption spectra of all other isotopologues of the chemical species weighted by mole-fraction abundance figures exceeds two somewhere in the first spectral interval, and a ratio of an absorption spectrum of the more abundant isotopologue to the sum of absorption spectra of all other isotopologues of the chemical species weighted by mole-fraction abundance figures exceeds two somewhere in the second spectral interval.
- an optical cell containing a gas with the chemical species to be measured;
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11. A method of measuring an isotopic ratio of a gaseous chemical species, the method comprising:
- coupling laser light to an optical cavity containing a gas with the chemical species to be measured;
measuring an absorption of the laser light by the gas;
determining the concentration ratio of two different isotopologues, wherein rotational-vibrational spectra of the chemical species are measured at least within two non-overlapping spectral intervals separated by a minimum of 50 nm between any two spectral points from each of the spectral intervals and selected in such way that a first rotational-vibrational line of a first rotational-vibrational band of a less abundant isotopologue is located in a first spectral interval, and a second rotational-vibrational line of a second rotational-vibrational band of a more abundant isotopologue is located in a second spectral interval, and a line intensity of the strongest line of the first rotational-vibrational band of the less abundant isotopologue is two or more times stronger than a line intensity of the strongest line of the second rotational-vibrational band of the more abundant isotopologue, and a ratio of an absorption spectrum of the less abundant isotopologue to the sum of absorption spectra of all other isotopologues of the chemical species weighted by mole-fraction abundance figures exceeds two somewhere in the first spectral interval, and a ratio of an absorption spectrum of the more abundant isotopologue to the sum of absorption spectra of all other isotopoloques of the chemical species weighted by mole-fraction abundance figures exceeds two somewhere in the second spectral interval. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
- coupling laser light to an optical cavity containing a gas with the chemical species to be measured;
Specification