A Mid-Infrared Fiber-Coupled QEPAS Nitric Oxide Sensor for Real-Time Engine Exhaust Monitoring

We report the development and application of a compact and sensitive mid-infrared nitric oxide (NO) sensor using off-beam quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS). This QEPAS sensor exploits the strong absorption band of NO at 5.2 mu m using a distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser (QCL). The QCL was connected with the custom-designed photoacoustic gas cell with a mid-infrared multimode fiber to form a plug-and-play system. The selection of key sensor parameters, such as micro-resonator, laser modulation depth, and gas pressure, was discussed in detail about improving the detection sensitivity. With a minimum detection limit of 120 ppbv, our QEPAS NO sensor was deployed in real-time diesel-engine exhaust monitoring. We observed the influence of soot existing in the engine exhaust on the sensor performance, which was filtered by a high efficiency particulate arrestance material. Our sensor captured the varied NO concentrations between 126 and 187 ppmv in the exhaust at different engine rotational speeds.