Validation of Fourier Transform Microwave Spectroscopy for Trace-Gas Analysis of Multicomponent Mixtures

Published

November 1, 2001

Author(s)

R S. DaBell, Pamela M. Chu, Gerald T. Fraser, R D. Suenram

Abstract

There is strong interest by regulatory agencies and automobile manufacturers, motivated in large part by increasingly stringent emission standards, for measurement tools capable of quantifying various hydrocarbons, oxygenated hydrocarbons, etc., in automobile exhausts in near real time with sensitivity comparable to presently used gas chromatographs, i.e. nmol/mol. Concentration measurements of the exhaust-gas composition also potentially provide feedback on the complex chemistry in the engine and exhaust system, which may be used to improve fuel formulations and engine performance and reduce emissions. Here, we describe the technique of Fourier-Transform MicroWave (FTMW) spectroscopy, which is a high sensitivity technique (better than mmol/mol, i.e. 1 ppm) with near real-time response (down to 1 s) and 100 % certain chemical identification. The development of FTMW for gas analysis builds upon a long history at NIST in the quantitative analysis of gas mixtures, which includes standard reference gas mixtures, and more recently the development of a quantitative infrared spectral database of common air pollutants (Chu et al., 1999).

Citation

SPIE Meeting

Volume

4574

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

analytical chemistry, automobile emissions, Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy, microwave spectroscopy, molecular spectroscopy, trace-gas analysis

Citation

DaBell, R. , Chu, P. , Fraser, G. and Suenram, R. (2001), Validation of Fourier Transform Microwave Spectroscopy for Trace-Gas Analysis of Multicomponent Mixtures, SPIE Meeting (Accessed September 17, 2024)