Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MiTrA (Miniature Trace Gas Analyzers with FFP microcavities)
Période du rapport: 2023-10-01 au 2025-10-31
Reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is a number one requirement for a more sustainable world. In order to put emission reduction targets into practice, reliable emission measurements have a key role to play. For example, the EU methane regulation which entered into force in August 2024 requires operators in the oil and gas sector to detect leaks and monitor source-level emissions on a regular basis. On the research side, oceanic CO2 concentration needs to be measured globally with increasing spatial and temporal coverage. In order to fulfill these measurement needs, substantial progress in instrumentation can still be made. In particular, in all these measurement situations, smaller, more mobile gas analyzers could provide substantial gains in productivity, coverage and data quality, but this requires instruments which are not yet available today. The goal of the MiTrA project is to develop a miniaturized greenhouse gas analyzer that is light-weight and robust enough to be mounted on a drone or held in the palm of your hand, while achieving still achieving the high sensitivity required for leak detection and accuracy for quantitative emission measurements.
Our solution is based on the Fiber Fabry-Perot (FFP) microcavity technology developed in the ERC Advanced Grant project EQUEMI. The extremely high finesse of FFP cavities means that a high sensitivity can be achieved in a microscopic device - the optical path length can be up to 100 meters while the actual length of the device is only a few millimeters.The microscopic size of the FFP cavities is the key to achieving the goals of miniaturization and robustness. Furthermore, it enables extremely small gas samples (below one microliter cavity volume) can be analyzed, and high bandwidth can be achieved even with extremely low gas throughput.
The goal of the project is to demonstrate the power of this concept by realizing proof-of-concept gas analyzers based on this principle, and to investigate their market potential and prepare their commercialization with a team of founders that is already in place.
Our solution is based on the Fiber Fabry-Perot (FFP) microcavity technology developed in the ERC Advanced Grant project EQUEMI. The extremely high finesse of FFP cavities means that a high sensitivity can be achieved in a microscopic device - the optical path length can be up to 100 meters while the actual length of the device is only a few millimeters.The microscopic size of the FFP cavities is the key to achieving the goals of miniaturization and robustness. Furthermore, it enables extremely small gas samples (below one microliter cavity volume) can be analyzed, and high bandwidth can be achieved even with extremely low gas throughput.
The goal of the project is to demonstrate the power of this concept by realizing proof-of-concept gas analyzers based on this principle, and to investigate their market potential and prepare their commercialization with a team of founders that is already in place.
The start of the project was slowed down by difficulties in recruiting a suitably qualified postdoc. Ones this difficulty was resolved, a first, proof-of-principle FFP-based gas analyzer for CO2 could be realized quickly. It allowed us to validate the working principle of FFP-based trace gas analysis using cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy. Due to the unusual working regime of this miniaturized analyzer, no established signal extraction method was available when the project started. We have developed two different methods that are compatible with this working regime and have tested their performance, starting with the first proof-of-principle demonstration and then in increasingly more quantitative measurements. Based on the experience gained with this first prototype, minimum viable products (MVPs) containing all essential components in a single, portable housing have been realized for CO2 and for methane. The methane MVP has been taken to a laboratory of NaTran (formerly GRT Gaz, French natural gas transmission system operator), where measurements have been done at precisely calibrated concentrations, pressures and temperatures, allowing an initial evaluation of the key factors limiting the analyzer's sensitivity, dynamic range, and drift. One important experimental result was that no measurable saturation effects occur over a wide range of laser powers, even for powers beyond the intended working range of the analyzer. Based on these results, the method yielding more promising results was selected and its performance optimized in several iterations. This led to rapid improvements of the sensitivity which are still going on, but justify our expectations of competitive datasheet specifications with the next two months.
In parallel with this research and characterization work, the FFP cavity forming the core of the instrument was developed from a delicated laboratory instrument requiring weeks of assembly and adjustment by a PhD-level scientist, into a robust component with a industry-grade robustness and housing that can be assembled by a technician following a standardized procedure.
As a result of this work, the startup company Mirega.com which has been created during the project phase, has been able to introduce its first product, a tunable optical filter. First devices have been delivered to customers well before the end of the project. Most importantly, the miniature gas analyzer received remarkable attention by potential customers, and the PoC project results enabled Mirega to secure funding for the remaining steps of product development. Market introduction of the gas analyzer is planned for early 2027.
In parallel with this research and characterization work, the FFP cavity forming the core of the instrument was developed from a delicated laboratory instrument requiring weeks of assembly and adjustment by a PhD-level scientist, into a robust component with a industry-grade robustness and housing that can be assembled by a technician following a standardized procedure.
As a result of this work, the startup company Mirega.com which has been created during the project phase, has been able to introduce its first product, a tunable optical filter. First devices have been delivered to customers well before the end of the project. Most importantly, the miniature gas analyzer received remarkable attention by potential customers, and the PoC project results enabled Mirega to secure funding for the remaining steps of product development. Market introduction of the gas analyzer is planned for early 2027.
The main result is the proof of concept of a fiber Fabry-Perot (FFP) microcavity-based trace gas analyzer.
IP protection is ensured by Sorbonne University's technology transfer office, SATT Lutech. A startup company, Mirega (www.mirega.com) has been created to bring this analyzer to the market. The results of this project have enabled Mirega to secure funding for the remaining development steps, which include custom electronics, software development, and further research to improve the analyzer performance. Mirega has been approached by several established players in the field of trace gas analysis who are seeking collaboration, which is an extremely positive indicator for the future of this development made possible by the ERC PoC.
IP protection is ensured by Sorbonne University's technology transfer office, SATT Lutech. A startup company, Mirega (www.mirega.com) has been created to bring this analyzer to the market. The results of this project have enabled Mirega to secure funding for the remaining development steps, which include custom electronics, software development, and further research to improve the analyzer performance. Mirega has been approached by several established players in the field of trace gas analysis who are seeking collaboration, which is an extremely positive indicator for the future of this development made possible by the ERC PoC.