System-level
integration of a midinfrared carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor
system based on tunable laser absorption spectroscopy
(TLAS) was realized for the analysis of dissolved CO2 in
seawater, employing an interband cascade laser (ICL) centered at 4319
nm and a multipass cell (MPC) with an optical path length of 29.8
m. At a low measurement pressure of 30 Torr, three absorption lines
of 12CO2 were selected to realize different
measurement ranges and a 13CO2 absorption line
was targeted for simultaneous isotopic abundance analysis of δ13CO2. The sensor system was compactly integrated
into a standalone system with automatic operation for underwater field
deployment, and the working process was controlled by a specially
designed electrical system. A gas–liquid separator system was
developed for CO2 extraction from water, and a pressure-control
mechanism with two operation modes (i.e., static and dynamic modes)
was proposed to make the sensor system applicable under a deep-sea
environment. A series of experiments were carried out in the laboratory
for performance assessment of the developed sensor system employed
for the analysis of dissolved CO2 in water. The sensor
was deployed for a field test for natural gas hydrates exploration
at an underwater depth of 0–2000 m in the South China Sea,
with the sensor operating normally during the deployment.