Mark Allen Woodmansee

A Dispersive Ultra-Violet Absorption Sensor for Nitric Oxide Detection

There is a growing need for gas sensors that can monitor the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) in harsh reacting environments. In this study, we explore the entitlement of a simple fiber-optic coupled ultra-violet absorption sensor for determining the concentration of nitric oxide in a gas cell and downstream of an atmospheric flame. By monitoring the v=0 0 vibrational transition in the A 2+ X 2 electronic manifold of NO, the gas cell measurements show that the absorption process is insensitive to other common combustion reactants and products at room temperature. However, in an atmospheric flame, the smaller NO number density instigates a significant loss in the signal-to-noise ratio of the NO absorption spectra. Nevertheless, a correlation between NO concentration and optical absorbance was observed.