Aerodyne Research, Inc.

Scott Christopher Herndon

David D Nelson, Jr

Joseph R Roscioli

Mark Stuart Zahniser

Charles E Kolb

Joanne H Shorter

John Barry McManus

In various embodiments, rapid, sensitive detection of molecular hydrogen is achieved by receiving sample gas that includes ambient water vapor and hydrogen, passing the sample gas through a gas dryer, chemically converting hydrogen in the sample gas to water vapor to produce converted sample gas, measuring water vapor in the converted sample gas to produce a water vapor signal, separating the water vapor signal in the time domain into an ambient water vapor signal and a hydrogen-derived water vapor signal, wherein the gas dryer dampens variation in the ambient water vapor signal, and outputting a hydrogen signal that describes molecular hydrogen in the sample gas that is based on the hydrogen-derived water vapor signal.

Rapid, sensitive hydrogen detector

In one embodiment, a COleak detection instrument detects leaks from a site (e.g., a COsequestration facility) using rapid concentration measurements of CO, Oand optionally water concentration that are achieved, for example, using laser spectroscopy (e.g. direct absorption laser spectroscopy). Water vapor in the sample gas may not be removed, or only partially removed. The sample gas may be collected using a multiplexed inlet assembly from a plurality of locations. COand Oconcentrations may be corrected based on the water concentration. A resulting dataset of the COand Oconcentrations is analyzed over time intervals to detect any changes in COconcentration that are not anti-correlated with Oconcentration, and to identify a potential COleak in response thereto. The analysis may include determining eddy covariance flux measurements of sub-surface potential carbon.

Methods and apparatus for measuring small leaks from carbon dioxide sequestration facilities

In one embodiment, active (continuous or intermittent) passivation may be employed to prevent interaction of sticky molecules with interfaces inside of an instrument (e.g., an infrared absorption spectrometer) and thereby improve response time. A passivation species may be continuously or intermittently applied to an inlet of the instrument while a sample gas stream is being applied. The passivation species may have a highly polar functional group that strongly binds to either water or polar groups of the interfaces, and once bound presents a non-polar group to the gas phase in order to prevent further binding of polar molecules. The instrument may be actively used to detect the sticky molecules while the passivation species is being applied.

Techniques for active passivation

A non-contact, extractive sampling system and method is provided for measuring the exhaust gas composition and fine particle composition of exhaust emissions of various types of vehicles under actual operating conditions. A portion (or sample) of an exhaust plume of a vehicle is pulled or extracted through an extraction sampling tube, via a vacuum pump, to a remote trace gas detection system where the concentration of one or more constituents present in the sample of exhaust plume may be measured. In this regard, the invention enables vehicle emissions measurements to be made at a location remote from roadway, rather than using known, 'cross-path' remote emissions sensing systems.

Growing community of inventors

Littleton, MA, United States of America

Scott Christopher Herndon