Ultrasonic Detector for High Precision Measurements of Carbon Dioxide

A new instrument for monitoring atmospheric CO2 has been developed based on the measurement of the speed of sound in air. The instrument uses a selective scrubber to yield highly precise and accurate measurements of CO2 mixing ratios at ambient concentrations. The instrument has a precision of 0.3 p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Analytical chemistry (Washington) 2010-10, Vol.82 (19), p.7929-7934
Main Authors: Andersen, Peter C, Williford, Craig J, David, Donald E, Birks, John W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analytical chemistry
Atmospheric chemistry
Carbon dioxide
Measurement
Ultrasonic technology
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Summary:A new instrument for monitoring atmospheric CO2 has been developed based on the measurement of the speed of sound in air. The instrument uses a selective scrubber to yield highly precise and accurate measurements of CO2 mixing ratios at ambient concentrations. The instrument has a precision of 0.3 ppmv (1σ) with a signal that is independent of pressure and requires a flow rate of only 30 mL/min. Laboratory measurements of atmospheric CO2 showed excellent agreement with values obtained by nondispersive infrared absorption. The instrument has the advantage of collecting continuous, high-precision data every 25 s and can be modified for vertical profiling studies using kites, balloons, or light aircraft for the purpose of measuring landscape-scale fluxes.
ISSN:0003-2700
1520-6882
DOI:10.1021/ac101365p