Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Highly Accurate Sensor for High-Purity Oxygen Determination
Project Description
In this STTR Phase I effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) and Professor Scott Sanders (Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Wisconsin Madison) propose to develop a highly-accurate sensor for high-purity oxygen determination. The analyzer, which is based on near-infrared tunable diode laser absorption spectrometry (TDLAS) and LGR's patented Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectrometry (Off-Axis ICOS), will be capable of rapidly quantifying high-purity oxygen (95 100 %) with very high accuracy (to better than ± 0.05 %), minimal calibration, and no zero drift. The analysis will be completely specific and exhibit no measurable cross-interferences from other background species (e.g. argon, nitrogen, water vapor, CO, CO2, or small organics). Moreover, the analyzer will be low-power, battery-operable, require no consumables, and sufficiently compact and robust for adaptability to future space missions. The high-purity oxygen sensor will help characterize NASA oxygen generators for breathing and propulsion applications.
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Anticipated Benefits
Besides its application to NASA, an ultrasensitive, lightweight oxygen analyzer also has significant commercial application for industrial process control monitoring and scientific instrumentation development. LGR is actively collaborating with several commercial partners to develop oxygen sensors for real-time control and optimization of electric arc furnaces. Additionally, LGR can readily extend the analyzer technology to address other trace gases for military applications. The proposed work is essential in making these instruments smaller, lighter, and more cost effective, thus enabling LGR to penetrate into these lucrative markets.
In low-pressure environments similar to those found during spacewalks or high-altitude flights, manned deployments require high-purity oxygen for breathing applications. This oxygen can be generated via in-situ resource utilization of extraplanetary regolith or extraction from ambient air. Both strategies involve using zeolite and carbon molecular sieves to remove other trace gases, and it is critical to continuously monitor the oxygen purity to optimize the generator conditions (e.g. gas flow rates, zeolite temperature, etc ), and account for sieve saturation, and quantify aging effects. Current technologies, including gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and electrochemical detection, cannot accurately quantify minute changes oxygen purity without the use of consumables and calibration. More »
In low-pressure environments similar to those found during spacewalks or high-altitude flights, manned deployments require high-purity oxygen for breathing applications. This oxygen can be generated via in-situ resource utilization of extraplanetary regolith or extraction from ambient air. Both strategies involve using zeolite and carbon molecular sieves to remove other trace gases, and it is critical to continuously monitor the oxygen purity to optimize the generator conditions (e.g. gas flow rates, zeolite temperature, etc ), and account for sieve saturation, and quantify aging effects. Current technologies, including gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and electrochemical detection, cannot accurately quantify minute changes oxygen purity without the use of consumables and calibration. More »
Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Gatos Research | Lead Organization | Industry | Mountain View, California |
Johnson Space Center
(JSC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Houston, Texas |
| The University of Wisconsin - Madison | Supporting Organization | Academia | Madison, Wisconsin |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
California
-
Texas
-
Wisconsin
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This is a historic project that was completed before the creation of TechPort on October 1, 2012. Available data has been included. This record may contain less data than currently active projects.