Objective:

To present a vehicle-mounted dual-comb spectroscopy system capable of real-time methane measurement while in motion.

Approach:

• System Development: A dual-comb spectroscopy platform was developed to measure methane and other gases from a moving vehicle.
• Field Testing: The system was tested on urban roads and expressways, achieving stable performance at speeds up to 100 km/h.

Key Findings:

• The system detected controlled natural gas releases and mapped methane plume distributions.
• It achieved precisions of 66 ppb for methane and 114 ppm for water vapor with 10 seconds of averaging.
• The system can geolocate gas plume hotspots without pre-deployed hardware.

Interpretation:

Dual-comb spectroscopy uniquely enables simultaneous, high-precision measurement of multiple gases, but is sensitive to environmental noise, which can degrade its performance.

Limitations:

• The system's performance may still be affected by environmental noise despite improvements.

Conclusion:

Future plans include broadening spectral coverage, improving stability, automating data analysis, and potential miniaturization for drone use.

Sources:

• East China Normal University Press Release