Application of TDM and FDM methods in TDLAS based multi-gas detection

Multi-gas tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) system based on time division multiplexing (TDM) demodulation technology which combine with frequency division multiplexing (FDM) technology is proposed, called F-TDM (frequency- time division multiplexing) system. In addition, traditional TDM technology and FDM technology are introduced to analyze and compare their performance. As for the performance of F-TDM system, multi-gas detection of CH4 and C2H2 has been accomplished with minimum detection limits of 10.24 ppmv for CH4 at 1653.72 nm and 0.763 ppmv for C2H2 at 1532.83 nm respectively. The relationships (CH4: R-square = 0.9989; C2H2: R-square = 0.9995) between gas concentration and second harmonic signal amplitude are proved as a good linear response. It is consistent with the data obtained by traditional TDM and FDM demodulation methods, indicating that the F-TDM system is feasible. By comparison, it is known that different methods have their advantages in different applications. The TDM system uses less equipment and is the most cost-effective. The system based on FDM technology is the most time-saving. The F-TDM system is a compromise method that combines the advantages of both and has no obvious disadvantage at the detection limit.