SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING VELOCITY AND FLUX OF A GAS
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Abstract
Systems and methods for determining gas velocity based on phase differences of signals from two or more interaction paths in a gas analyzer system. A laser source, which can provide access to an absorption gas line, is expanded, or is split into two or more beams. These beams can be used to create two (or more) parallel sampling paths separated by a known distance. Gas travelling in the plane of the two beams of light will pass through the optical paths at two (or more) different times creating very similar signals that will be out of phase with each other. The amount of phase difference will be inversely proportional to the velocity of the gas.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1-7. -7. (canceled)
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8. A device for measuring the flux of a gas, comprising:
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a laser source that emits laser light having a first diameter; optical elements configured to expand the emitted laser light into a beam having a second diameter larger than the first diameter; a detector element that detects laser light from the beam and outputs signals representing optical power in each of at least two regions of the beam; and an intelligence module, coupled with the detector element and configured to receive the signals and, based on the signals and on a distance between the at least two regions, compute a velocity of the gas along at least a first direction perpendicular to the beam. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 18)
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13. A device for measuring the velocity of a gas, comprising:
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a laser source that emits laser light having a first diameter; optical elements configured to expand the emitted laser light into a beam having a second diameter larger than the first diameter; a beamsplitter element that splits the beam into first and second beams, the first beam and the second beam being substantially perpendicular to each other; a first detector element that detects laser light from the first beam and outputs first signals representing optical power in each of at least three equal regions of the first beam; a second detector element that detects laser light from the second beam and outputs second signals representing optical power in each of at least three equal regions of the second beam; and an intelligence module, coupled with the first and second detector elements and configured to receive the first and second signals and, based on the first and second signals and on distances between the at least three regions in each of the first and second beams, compute a velocity of the gas along three orthogonal directions. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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19. A method of measuring a velocity of a gas, the method comprising:
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expanding a first beam of laser light into a second beam having a second diameter larger than a diameter of the first beam; detecting laser light from the second beam and outputting signals representing optical power in each of at least two regions of the second beam, wherein the gas traverses at least a portion of the second beam; and computing, based on the signals and on a distance between the at least two regions, a velocity of the gas along at least a first direction perpendicular to the second beam.
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- 20. The method of claim 20, wherein the gas includes at least one of H2O, CO2, CH4, N2O, or NH3, or isotopes of CO2 and/or H2O.
Specification