Measurement of trace ethane using a mid-IR LED

This paper presents our latest work on developing a trace ethane gas sensor using a mid-infrared light emitting diode (LED). Our measurements were carried out by means of mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy in the 3pm region. A lock-in amplifying algorithm was used to dispose the detected signal. The average deviation between the standard and measured concentrations was 1.8%. Through simulation, accounting for the center wavelength drifting of LED34 at a temperature of 15∼35°C, we put forward several schemes to achieve a high sensitivity of the system.