The objective of this work has been to develop a robust calibration method for simultaneous multigas detection with a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) system. Calibration models for the identification and quantification of 23 gases in the presence of high concentrations of background gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane have been obtained for an FT-IR instrument with 0.7-cm−1 resolution. The calibration models have been tested on a breadboard instrument for trace gas measurement in manned space missions. The results show that FT-IR combined with multivariate methods such as partial least-squares (PLS) and proper pretreatment of the infrared spectra used in calibration is well suited for this purpose. A procedure for baseline drift compensation has been introduced to make the system insensitive to baseline drift and variations in transmittance. This baseline drift compensation also reduces the need for background measurements. Further, a procedure for incorporating a priori information about the instrument signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the absorption strength of interfering absorption lines has been developed. Indoor air monitoring and industrial process monitoring are other possible application areas for these techniques. Parts of this work have been performed in a project for the European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with Kayser-Threde GmbH and Daimler-Benz Aerospace, Dornier GmbH.
New multigas measurement technology has been developed as part of and in parallel with a series of projects for the European Space Agency (ESA). Based on well-established Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and novel calibration and analysis methods, ESA's Analysing Interferometer for Ambient Air (ANITA) system has successfully demonstrated continuous air quality monitoring on the International Space Station (ISS). ANITA performed automatic multigas measurements in quasireal time with high sensitivity, specificity, stability and reliability. The novel analysis techniques are well suited also for general workplace air monitoring, industrial processes and other multicomponent measurement tasks.
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