Self-calibration wavelength modulation spectroscopy for acetylene detection based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy*

The expressions of the second harmonic (2f) signal are derived on the basis of absorption spectral and lock-in theories. A parametric study indicates that the phase shift between the intensity and wavelength modulation makes a great contribution to the 2f signal. A self-calibration wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) method based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) is applied, combining the advantages of ambient pressure, temperature suppression, and phase-shift influences elimination. Species concentration is retrieved simultaneously from selected 2f signal pairs of measured and reference WMS-2f spectra. The absorption line of acetylene (C2H2) at 1530.36 nm near-infrared is selected to detect C2H2 concentrations in the range of 0–400 ppmv. System sensitivity, detection precision and limit are markedly improved, demonstrating that the self-calibration method has better detecting performance than the conventional WMS.