SBIR-STTR Award

Innovative concepts are needed in advanced on-linesensors for application in industrial control systems leading todecreased energy consumption, better environmental control, betterquality control, and increased productivity in U.S. industry. During the last several years, Fourier Transform Infrared (Fr-IR)spectroscopy has been identified as an important new tool to obtainspecies composition, concentrations, and temperature data inprocess monitoring. If FT-IR is to realize its potential inprocess monitoring, improvements must be made in mechanicalstability, thermal stability, ruggedness, size, weight, cost, andserviceability of the instrument. This project addresses thedevelopment of an advanced process FT-IR based on innovativetechnology that will allow it to have the required properties forprocess monitoring. The technology is the subject of four patentapplications. The Phase I tests are determining vibrationtolerance, ruggedness, energy throughput, potential speed, andpotential maximum resolution, among other properties. A prototypewill be designed on the basis of these results.Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee:The technology to be developed could provide anextremely vibration-tolerant, permanently aligned, fast, highresolution, and compact FT-IR spectrometer for process monitoringthat will also be relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Theseimprovements in cost and performance would dramatically increasethe application of FT-IR technology in continuous emissionmonitoring, ambient air monitoring, process monitoring, medicaltechnology, and semiconductor fabrication, among otherapplications.

Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy has beenidentified as an important new tool to obtain data on speciescomposition, concentrations, and temperature in processmonitoring. If FT-IR spectroscopy is to realize this potential,improvement must be made in mechanical stability, thermalstability, ruggedness, size, weight, cost, and fieldserviceability of the instrument. The goal of this project is todevelop a vibration immune, rugged, permanently aligned,thermally stable, low cost Fourier Transform mid-IR absorptionspectrometer for industrial process and environmental monitoring.The innovation in this project is an advanced and noveldynamicallybalanced "isolation interferometer" with corner cubeoptics, in which the mirror motion is decoupled from externalvibrations. The major achievement in Phase I was the developmentof an isolation interferometer prototype which demonstrated theability to reduce, by more than a factor of 60, the effect ofexternal vibrations. This interferometer also demonstratedexcellent phase uniformity and expectations of long life, basedon accelerated lifetime tests. Phase II will design, construct,and test a complete FT-IR absorption spectrometer incorporatingthe comer cube isolation interferometer and other advancedcomponents for applications in industrial process andenvironmental monitoring. Several field tests will also beperformed to demonstrate the prototype's performance and todevelop data acquisition and process control strategies. Fieldtests will be performed in at least three applications selectedfrom the pulp and paper, utility power, incineration, chemical,petroleum, and glass industries.Anticipated Results / potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: A vibration immune, permanentlyaligned, small, light weight, low cost ITIR spectrometer willallow application of the technology in thousands of installationswith a total market of over $1 billion/year. Applicationsinclude: combustion diagnostics, process monitoring, continuousemission monitoring of smoke stacks, ambient air monitoring, autoemission testing, and medical diagnostics. These instruments canprovide a significant positive impact on industrialcompetitiveness by improving efficiency and product quality withlower pollution levels and fewer accidents.