Enhancing long-term stability of photoacoustic gas sensor using an extremum-seeking control algorithm

Abstract

Smart sensor systems have gained increasing importance in various fields, including healthcare, environmental monitoring, industrial automation, and security. Photoacoustic gas sensors are an emerging type of optical sensor used in various applications due to its enhanced performance characteristics. However, the accuracy and reliability of gas concentration measurements from photoacoustic gas sensors may be impacted by several known limitations, including drift of the gas cell resonant frequency over extended periods of time. Researchers have proposed various solutions, including optimization methods and signal processing algorithms, to address this and others issues. In this paper, we propose a novel solution using an extremum-seeking control algorithm to manage the laser modulation frequency of photoacoustic gas sensors. By tracking the changing resonant frequency of the gas cell, long-term stability can be achieved, making it suitable for environmental monitoring, petroleum exploration, and industrial process control. Our approach has the potential to improve the accuracy and reliability of long-term measurements obtained from photoacoustic gas sensors, providing a stable and reliable method for gas concentration estimation.