In Situ Combustion Measurements of CO(2) by Use of a Distributed-Feedback Diode-Laser Sensor Near 2.0 mum.

High-resolution absorption measurements of CO(2) were made in a heated static cell and in the combustion region above a flat-flame burner for the development of an in situ CO(2) combustion diagnostic based on a distributed-feedback diode laser operating near 2.0 mum. Calculated absorption spectra of high-temperature H(2)O and CO(2) were used to find candidate transitions for CO(2) detection, and the R(50) transition at 1.997 mum (the nu(1) + 2nu(2) + nu(3) band) was selected on the basis of its line strength and its isolation from interfering high-temperature water absorption. Measurements of spectroscopic parameters such as the line strength, the self-broadening coefficient, and the line position were made for the R(50) transition, and an improved value for the line strength is reported. The combustion-product populations of CO(2) in the combustion region above a flat-flame burner were determined in situ to verify the measured spectroscopic parameters and to demonstrate the feasibility of the diode-laser sensor.

Ammonia Monitoring Near 1.5 mum with Diode-Laser Absorption Sensors.

We investigated ammonia spectroscopy near 1.5 mum to select transitions appropriate for trace ammonia detection in air-quality and combustion emissions-monitoring applications using diode lasers. Six ammonia features were selected for these trace-gas detection applications based on their transition strengths and isolation from interfering species. The strengths, positions, and lower-state energies for the lines in each of these features were measured and compared with values published in the literature. Ammonia slip was measured in the exhaust above an atmospheric pressure premixed ethylene-air burner to demonstrate the feasibility of the in situ diode-laser sensor.

Multiplexed continuous-wave diode-laser cavity ringdown measurements of multiple species.

Rapid cavity ringdown measurements of multiple broadband absorbing species (methanol and isopropanol) in gas mixtures have been recorded with two multiplexed continuous-wave distributed-feedback diode lasers operating near 1.4 mum. A measurement sensitivity of 2.4 x 10(-9) cm(-1) for a 4.3-s averaging time was achieved in a 39.5-cm-long static cell with 99.94% reflectivity mirrors. This corresponds to a water-vapor detection limit of less than 2 ppb (parts in 10(9)) for the strong H(2)O lines near 1.4 mum. The shot-to-shot noise of the decay time constant tau was approximately 0.3-0.7%, and ringdown acquisition rates as great as 900 Hz were achieved.

In situ combustion measurements of CO with diode-laser absorption near 2.3 microm.

In situ measurements of CO concentration were recorded with tunable diode-laser absorption spectroscopy techniques in both the exhaust and the immediate post-flame regions of an atmospheric-pressure flat-flame burner operating on ethylene air. Two room-temperature cw single-mode InGaAsSb/AlGaAsSb diode lasers operating near 2.3 microm were tuned over individual transitions in the CO first overtone band (v' = 2 <-- v" = 0) to record high-resolution absorption line shapes in the exhaust duct [79 cm above the burner, approximately 470 K; R(15) transition at 4311.96 cm(-1)] and the immediate postflame zone [1.5 cm above the burner, 1820-1975 K; R(30) transition at 4343.81 cm(-1)]. The CO concentration was determined from the measured absorption and the gas temperature, which was monitored with type-S thermocouples. For measurements in the exhaust duct, the noise-equivalent absorbance was approximately 3 x 10(-5) (50-kHz detection bandwidth, 50-sweep average, 0.1-s total measurement time), which corresponds to a CO detection limit of 1.5 ppm m at 470 K. Wavelength modulation spectroscopy techniques were used to improve the detection limit in the exhaust to approximately 0.1 ppm m (approximately 500-Hz detection bandwidth, 20-sweep average, 0.4-s total measurement time). For measurements in the immediate postflame zone, the measured CO concentrations in the fuel-rich flames were in good agreement with chemical equilibrium predictions. These experiments demonstrate the utility of diode-laser absorption sensors operating near 2.3 microm for in situ combustion emission monitoring and combustion diagnostics.

Diode-Laser Absorption Measurements of CO(2) Near 2.0 mum at Elevated Temperatures.

A diode-laser sensor system based on absorption spectroscopy techniques has been developed for nonintrusive measurements of CO(2) in high-temperature environments. Survey spectra of the CO(2) (20 degrees 1,04 degrees 1)(I)-00 degrees 0 and (20 degrees 1,04 degrees 1)(II)-00 degrees 0 bands between 1.966 and 2.035 mum (4915-5085 cm(-1)) were recorded at temperatures between 296 and 1425 K in a heated static cell and compared with calculated spectra (by using the HITRAN 96/HITEMP database) to find candidate transitions for CO(2) detection. High-resolution measurements of the CO(2) R(56) line shape [(20 degrees 1,04 degrees 1)(II)-00 degrees 0 band] were used to determine the transition line strength, the self-broadening half-width, and the coefficient of temperature dependence of the self-broadening half-width. The results represent what are believed to be the first measurements of CO(2) absorption near 2.0 mum with room-temperature diode lasers. Potential applications of the diode-laser sensor system include in situ combustion measurements and environmental monitoring.

Diode laser absorption measurements of CH(3)Cl and CH(4) near 1.65 microm.

Two distributed-feedback (InGaAsP) diode lasers were used to record high-resolution absorption spectra of the parallel and the perpendicular components of the 2nu(4) band of methyl chloride (CH(3)Cl) and the 2nu(3) band of methane (CH(4)) near 1.65 mum. The room-temperature absorption measurements, which were conducted in a multipass cell with a variable path length (878-1020 cm), were used to determine the mole fractions of the constituent gases and thus demonstrate species-specific, nonintrusive concentration measurements of species with overlapping spectra.

Diode laser sensor for measurements of CO, CO(2), and CH(4) in combustion flows.

A diode laser sensor has been applied to monitor CO, CO(2), and CH(4) in combustion gases with absorption spectroscopy and fast extraction-sampling techniques. Survey spectra of the CO 3nu band (R branch) and the 2nu(1) + 2nu(2)(0) + nu(3) CO(2) band (R branch) near 6350 cm(-1) and H(2)O lines from the nu(1) + 2nu(2) and 2nu(2) + nu(3) bands in the spectral region from 6345 to 6660 cm(-1) were recorded and compared with calculated spectra (from the HITRAN 96 database) to select optimum transitions for species detection. Species concentrations above a laminar, premixed, methane-air flame were determined from measured absorption in a fast-flow multipass absorption cell containing probe-sampled combustion gases; good agreement was found with calculated chemical equilibrium values.

Tunable diode-laser absorption measurements of methane at elevated temperatures.

A diode-laser sensor system based on absorption spectroscopy techniques has been developed to monitor CH(4) nonintrusively in high-temperature environments. Fundamental spectroscopic parameters, including the line strengths of the transitions in the R(6) manifold of the 2ν(3) band near 1.646 µm, havebeen determined from high-resolution absorption measurements in a heated static cell. In addition, acorrected expression for the CH(4) partition function has been validated experimentally over thetemperature range from 400 to 915 K. Potential applications of the diode-laser sensor system includeprocess control, combustion measurements, and atmospheric monitoring.

Tunable diode-laser absorption measurements of NO(2) near 670 and 395 nm.

Two single-mode diode lasers were used to record high-resolution absorption spectra of NO(2) (dilute in Ar) near 670.2 and 394.5 nm over a range of temperatures (296 to 774 K) and total pressures (2.4 × 10(-2) to 1 atm). A commercial InGaAsP laser was tuned 1.3 cm(-1) at a repetition rate of 1 kHz to record the absorption spectra near 670.2 nm. In separate experiments with a prototype system, an external-cavity GaAlAs laser was frequency doubled with a quasi-phase-matched LiNbO(3) waveguide and tuned 3.5 cm(-1) to record absorption spectra near 394.5 nm. Variations of the spectral absorption coefficients with temperature and pressure were determined from measured spectra.

Dual diode-laser fiber-optic diagnostic for water-vapor measurements.

We present a novel diode-laser diagnostic for water-vapor measurements based on absorption spectroscopy. Two InGaAsP diode lasers were used to record H(2)O absorption line shapes near 1395 nm at a 3-kHz repetition rate along a single path through a water-vapor flow field generated in a shock tube. The use of two lasers permits simultaneous line-shape measurements in different spectral regions and facilitates the selection of appropriate line pairs for thermometry. The wavelength tuning rate was determined by use of a fiber-optic device known as a ring interferometer. Flow-field conditions (1320 K, 0.3 atm) inferred from measured line shapes compared favorably with calculated values.

Semiconductor laser-based measurements of quench rates in an atmospheric pressure plasma by using saturated-fluorescence spectroscopy.

Plasma diagnostics based on saturated fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy with a semiconductor (diode) laser are developed to probe the 4s(3)P(1) ? 4p(3)D(2) transition (8425 A) of argon in an atmospheric pressure plasma produced by an inductively coupled plasma torch. Spatially resolved measurements of saturation intensity, nonradiative collisional transfer (quench) rate, and fluorescence yield (Stern-Volmer factor) are inferred from variations of spectral profile characteristics (line shape, line-center value, and frequency-integrated signal) with laser intensity. The results obtained by using fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy are mutually consistent in the analytical region 10 mm above the induction coil. The measured quench rates compare favorably with computed rates from a multilevel collisional radiative model that assumes a suprathermal electron population relative to the local thermodynamic equilibrium value at the kinetic temperature.

Fertility, maternal care, and offspring behavior in mice prenatally treated with tobacco smoke.

Female mice from lines selectively bred for differences in open-field activity were exposed to tobacco smoke during gestation. Smoke-treated females were less likely than controls to have produced litters by 23 days after observation of a vaginal plug. Within the high-active line, fewer pups of smoke-treated dams survived to weaning. Regardless of treatment, fewer high-active than low-active offspring survived to weaning. Results of a 4-day series of open-field activity tests administered to offspring beginning at 28 days of age indicated that tobacco smoke administered prenatally and/or during testing depresses open-field activity in both lines. Other activity tests administered at 50 days of age gave similar results. Tissue nicotine levels after nicotine injection tended to be higher in high-active and control groups than in low-active and smoke-treated groups, respectively. Liver weight expressed as percentage of body weight was 11.9% greater in smoke-treated animals than in controls.

Fertility and offspring survival in mice selected for different sensitivities to alcohol.

The LS (long-sleep) and SS (short-sleep) selected lines of mice exhibit relatively high and low sensitivity to alcohol, respectively, because of their previous history of selective breeding. The present study identifies other differences between the two lines. SS animals are almost twice as fertile as LS animals. Analysis of vaginal plug formation suggested that higher sexual activity of SS mice is an important component of their greater fertility. Forced maternal drinking of a 10% ethanol solution during gestation, and especially during lactation, caused a decrease in survival of LS but not of SS offspring. Increased cannibalism of pups by LS mothers was probably an important component of this decrease in progeny survival. Maternal consumption of liquid in both lines was decreased during gestation, and especially during lactation, when 10% ethanol was the only available liquid in each case. The physiological basis for decreased survival of LS progeny may involve either direct effects of alcohol on progeny or indirect effects caused by water, nutritional, or hormonal imbalance in LS mothers when they are exposed to alcohol stress. The relationship of fertility and progeny survival differences in the two lines to their differences in alcohol sensitivity produced by selective breeding is discussed.