SBIR/STTR
3-color DPAS Aerosol Absorption Monitor, Phase I
Project Introduction
We propose to develop a highly sensitive and compact device to monitor light absorption from atmospheric aerosols simultaneously at three spectral regions, red, green, and blue. The proposed method is primarily based on the differential photoacoustic (DPAS) technique and will also take advantage of the current rapid development on high-power semiconductor lasers. The proposed RGB DPAS Aerosol Absorption Monitor will eventually be less than 25 pounds in weight and consume approximately 300W electrical power. It will also be capable of being remotely controlled and being operated at a variety of sampling pressure conditions for the airborne measurements. Since all the major components of the proposed system are commercially available except the home-designed acoustic cells, its total manufacturing cost could be less than $20,000 per unit.
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Anticipated Benefits
Potential NASA Commercial Applications: The primary NASA need for this technology is to measure spectrally resolved light absorption by atmospheric aerosols for its Airborne Measurement program. At present, aerosol light absorption is measured by collecting sample on a filter subtract and measuring light extinction and scattering of the collected samples during the airborne measurements. This method suffers from a number of intrinsic errors. The proposed DPAS technique will be far more sensitive than the filter-based techniques, and is capable of providing 1s data acquisition measurement. Additionally, past NASA programs such as EXCAVATE, APEX, UNA-UNA, and AAFEX have had as a major focus, on the measurement of black carbon emissions from civilian aircraft engines. Since mass absorption coefficient of black carbon is known at several visible wavelengths, the proposed DPAS aerosol absorption monitor can be used as a black carbon emission monitor.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Langley Research Center
(LaRC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Hampton, VA |
| Aerodyne Research, Inc | Supporting Organization | Industry | Billerica, MA |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Massachusetts
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Lead Center / Facility:
- Langley Research Center (LaRC)
Responsible Program:
- SBIR/STTR
Project Management
Program Director:
Program Manager:
Principal Investigator:
- Zhenhong Yu
Project Duration
Start: Jun 2015
End: Dec 2015
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 2 |
| Current: | 4 |
| Estimated End: | 4 |
Applied Research
Development
Demo & Test
Technology Areas
Primary:
- TA 8 Science Instruments, Observatories, and Sensor Systems
- TA 8.1 Remote Sensing Instruments and Sensors