Compact, photoacoustic gas measuring system for methane in biogas plants

We present a miniaturized photoacoustic gas measurement setup for methane in high concentrations. The system consists of an IR-source, a microphone as detection unit and a measuring chamber with gas connections. The system is able to detect methane concentrations of 0-100%, as they exist for example inside the reaction chamber of biogas plants. Simulations with parameter variations are done to evaluate experimental results. Measurements and simulations show similar behaviour. Different measurement ranges have been regarded. The system presented here can be easily integrated in process environment due to its small size. The isolated setup allows to measure flammable IR-active gases.