Development of a near-infrared tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer for trace moisture measurements in helium gas

There is a demand for water vapor or moisture measurement in gas mixture at trace level from industries like combustion studies, semiconductor industry, environmental studies, cryogenic services, etc. There are few principles, direct or indirect, to measure moisture—each having individual limitations. Among all, the chilled mirror hygrometer is very accurate but response time is poor; therefore, it is suitable for calibration purposes not for online measurement. An instrument based on near-infrared absorption spectroscopy has been developed and discussed in this article. In this instrument, the laser is modulated with both sinusoidal and slower linear scan, split into two beams: an intense one is passed only through air and the other one through air and the absorption cell of 50 cm length. The balanced detection technique is adopted between the two beams called the reference and the measurement channels, respectively, and the difference signal between the two undergoes the 2-f lock-in detection. This method is good for elimination of moisture present in air and any common-mode noise present in both the channels and as well determines the splitting ratio keeping the absorption cell in vacuum. This method also eliminates the 1-f component present in the signal, which causes asymmetry in the two wings of the 2-f absorption spectra. For computation of absorption spectra, it is found that the Hitran database is sufficient to predict for air as the base gas but Exomol should be used in the cases where helium is the base gas. Simulation and experiment both were performed at different concentration and pressures and the results are found in good agreement for the central spectrum with little difference in wings’ peak. The sensitivity of this instrument achieved at 100 mb pressure in the absorption cell for helium as the base gas with refresh rate of 625 Hz is ∼17 ppmv and ∼4 ppmv for direct and 2-f measurement, respectively. The applicability of the instrument for air as the base gas is also shown in the paper.