NASA SBIR 2008 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Eltron Research & Development , Inc
4600 Nautilus Court South
Boulder, CO 80301 - 3241
(303) 530-0263

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
John Faull
eltron@eltronresearch.com
4600 Nautilus Court South
Boulder, CO 80301 - 3241
(303) 530-0263

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract: 4

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
Eltron Research & Development proposes the development of a lightweight, battery-powered instrument for accurately and rapidly monitoring the local concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. In our Phase I program, an advanced CO2 analyzer will be developed with a novel optical sensor employing a sample concentrator in conjunction with single-beam, dual-wavelength infrared measurements. The proposed monitor will utilize a thin, IR transparent film to selectively and reversibly concentrate CO2 for enhanced detection. The film's high partitioning coefficient will enable a short pathlength and low power requirements while achieving the accuracy, response time, and detection limits necessary for airborne atmospheric monitoring.
Phase I of this project will accomplish evaluation of a breadboard system in the laboratory; we anticipate a TRL of 4 by the end of Phase I. By the end of the Phase II program, a prototype instrument will be built with ±0.1 ppm resolution in a background of ca. 385 ppm, <10 s response time, 800 mW power requirements, and 250 g total weight. The CO2 analyzer, which will be of reduced size and significantly more cost-effeective than the current state-of-the-art, will be suitable for use on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and balloon platforms.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Eltron's airborne CO2 monitor will provide NASA climatologists with a powerful tool for studying the effects of human activity on the carbon cycle and its impact on global climate change. The monitor is specifically aimed at meeting the needs of NASA's Airborne Science program. Data collected with Eltron's monitor could provide direction for future technology development driven by NASA and other government organizations tracking CO2, for example NOAA, DOE and US EPA.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Ever increasing awareness of the effects of global warming is compelling national, regional and metropolitan monitoring of CO2 levels. Eltron's technology would provide a cost effective, sensitive and accurate monitoring tool. Low-cost and accurate CO2 monitoring could find widespread use in medical, industrial, agricultural, and security applications. Precise regional CO2 measurements also could help chart the accuracy of carbon trading systems involving "credits" and "offsets" now in use in various countries around the world. Monitoring CO2 sequestration sites will be a necessity in the future, and this device would be ideal for such use. A network of low-cost sensors could be arranged over and around sequestration sites to enable real-time leak detection.

NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING

Optical