CO Detection System Based on TDLAS Using a 4.625 μm Interband Cascaded Laser

During industrial operations and in confined places, carbon monoxide (CO) may collect in harmful proportions if ventilation is insufficient or appliances are not properly maintained. When the concentration of CO is too high, it might result in suffocation, coma, or even death. The detection of tiny concentrations of CO plays an important role in safe production. Due to the selective absorption of specific wavelengths of light by gas molecules, lasers have a wide range of applications in the field of gas detection. In this paper, a tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) system for CO detection was constructed using an interband cascaded laser (ICL) with a central wavelength of 4.625 μm. The modulated signal generated by the FPGA module was output to the laser controller to modulate the laser. The signal received by the detector was input to the FPGA module. After lock-in amplification, the second harmonic signal of high frequency modulation was output. Several concentrations of CO that were dispersed via static gas distribution were identified. A CO detection system with an open optical path was constructed, and the detection distance was about 8 m. The minimum detectable concentration is around 10.32 ppmm. The concentration of CO in the open optical path was 510.6 ppmm, according to the calibration of the detected concentration. The remote detection system based on TDLAS using an ICL can be used to monitor CO in the open optical path.