WITH the current focus on climate, researchers at the US-based Sandia National Laboratories have now come up with a small air sampler which can cheaply and easily collect atmospheric samples.
The ear-plug-sized sensors utilise a solder-like alloy to house an inexpensive microvalve situated above the sample chamber.
It takes in gas in seconds through a tiny hole about the diameter of three human hairs. The hole closes when a tiny, low-energy hotplate on the canisters surface heats up, melting the alloy so it flows and blocks the inlet hole.
The hotplae is then deactivated, causing the alloy to cool and resolidify, sealing the gas sample inside the chamber, preventing contamination until the chamber is accessed for analysis in the lab.
For more consistent climate analysis, preventing corruption of air samples is just the first step climate models need to be built based on input from a wide distribution of sensors, and this is difficult to do if said sensors are heavy, fragile and expensive.
The Sandia phase-change micro-valve sensor is light, cheap, tough, inexpensive to fabricate and simple to operate. It also does not have materials which may release gases themselves ("outgassing").
The miniature sensors simplicity means it could travel in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or as unmonitored cargo in atmospheric balloons. The poorest countries could afford to play a role in global climate data collection.
Sandia is now considering the use of the sensors in miniature blimps, which would sample particles around which cloud droplets form. The small and lightweight sensors are ideal for use in remote areas.
The team is also planning to submit an atmospheric sampling proposal this spring to NASA for a system which would verify satellite data about the atmosphere by sniffing the air from within the atmosphere.
The Sandia system would have 100 of the new sensors in a package that has a macrovalve on top. An altimeter sends an electrical pulse that opens the macrovalve to fill the package with air. A small pump builds up pressure, filling the tiny cylinders.
The entire system would be operated using PC processors and a circuit board. GPS technology will be used to locate the floating construction, with the miniature size and low weight of the components making them suitable for balloon and UAV applications.
Data collected could also be used to confirm satellite images of airborne industrial effluents, essential for monitoring cap-and-trade deals.
The work, featured in the paper, A Materials Investigation of a Phase-Change Micro-Valve for Greenhouse Gas Collection and Other Potential Applications.
The ear-plug-sized sensors utilise a solder-like alloy to house an inexpensive microvalve situated above the sample chamber.
It takes in gas in seconds through a tiny hole about the diameter of three human hairs. The hole closes when a tiny, low-energy hotplate on the canisters surface heats up, melting the alloy so it flows and blocks the inlet hole.
The hotplae is then deactivated, causing the alloy to cool and resolidify, sealing the gas sample inside the chamber, preventing contamination until the chamber is accessed for analysis in the lab.
For more consistent climate analysis, preventing corruption of air samples is just the first step climate models need to be built based on input from a wide distribution of sensors, and this is difficult to do if said sensors are heavy, fragile and expensive.
The Sandia phase-change micro-valve sensor is light, cheap, tough, inexpensive to fabricate and simple to operate. It also does not have materials which may release gases themselves ("outgassing").
The miniature sensors simplicity means it could travel in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or as unmonitored cargo in atmospheric balloons. The poorest countries could afford to play a role in global climate data collection.
Sandia is now considering the use of the sensors in miniature blimps, which would sample particles around which cloud droplets form. The small and lightweight sensors are ideal for use in remote areas.
The team is also planning to submit an atmospheric sampling proposal this spring to NASA for a system which would verify satellite data about the atmosphere by sniffing the air from within the atmosphere.
The Sandia system would have 100 of the new sensors in a package that has a macrovalve on top. An altimeter sends an electrical pulse that opens the macrovalve to fill the package with air. A small pump builds up pressure, filling the tiny cylinders.
The entire system would be operated using PC processors and a circuit board. GPS technology will be used to locate the floating construction, with the miniature size and low weight of the components making them suitable for balloon and UAV applications.
Data collected could also be used to confirm satellite images of airborne industrial effluents, essential for monitoring cap-and-trade deals.
The work, featured in the paper, A Materials Investigation of a Phase-Change Micro-Valve for Greenhouse Gas Collection and Other Potential Applications.