Experimental investigation of optical waveguide-based multigas sensing

In this letter, the results of an experimental investigation for simultaneous multiple gas detection utilizing an optical fiber sensor are described. The optical fiber system used for these experiments contained a section of hollow tubing and this allowed a combination of gas molecular absorption with optical waveguide technology. A fiber-optic sensing structure was designed and demonstrated which can monitor multiple gases simultaneously. The experimental results demonstrate the characteristic absorptions in the optical spectra corresponding to the narrow molecular absorption lines of the gases tested, which included acetylene and carbon monoxide.