High Speed H ₂ O Concentration Measurements Using Absorption Spectroscopy to Monitor Exhaust Gas

This paper demonstrates the potential for fast absorption spectroscopy measurements in diesel-engine exhaust to track H₂O concentration transients. Wavelength-agile absorption spectroscopy is an optical technique that measures broadband absorption spectra between 10 kHz and 100 MHz. From these measured spectra, gas temperature and absorber concentrations can be determined.

We introduce a laser spectroscopy system for high speed (10 μs) diesel exhaust measurements in the presence of significant particulate matter. The sensor can be broadly applicable for understanding the dynamics of EGR distribution, cycle-to-cycle stability, cylinder-to-cylinder charge uniformity, and NO_X regeneration strategies. The method precision is 10% and 5%, for individual 10-μs measurements and 2-ms averaged measurements, respectively. The sensitivity or detection limit of the measurement is 0.5% H₂O.