Design of NO₂ Photoacoustic Detection System Based on Finite Element Simulation

Abstract

Based on photoacoustic spectroscopy and finite element simulation technology, a simulation model of sound field excitation in a cylindrical resonant photoacoustic cell was established. The finite element simulation method was used to analyze the acoustic mode and sound pressure distribution of the cavity structure of the photoacoustic cell. The effects of the geometric parameters of the resonator and the buffer cavity on the performance of the photoacoustic cell were compared. The frequency response characteristics of the photoacoustic cell and the effects of the air intake and the air outlet were studied. Based on the simulation results, a cylindrical resonant photoacoustic cell was designed, and a photoacoustic sensor for NO2 detection was built. NO2 with a volume fraction of 10−5 was taken as the sample gas through frequency scanning to obtain the frequency response curve of the system. The resonant frequency is 1730 Hz, and the cell constant is about 542.3 (Pa*cm)/W. The quality factor is 10.05. By linear fitting the calibration curve of the sensor, the fitting slope is 0.012 µV/ppb, and R2 is 0.998. Atmospheric NO2 detection was carried out for two consecutive weeks, whose findings are in good agreement with the data released by a Huainan environmental monitoring site. The experimental results show that the system can detect NO2 in the atmosphere with high sensitivity.

Keywords

• photoacoustic spectroscopy
• finite element simulation
• blue diode lasers
• NO₂ detection