OPTICAL OXYGEN

SENSORS
Presented By:
Harsimran Kaur
ME(Electronics)
16207015
 CONTENTS

• Introduction
• Traditional oxygen sensors
• Optical oxygen sensors
• Fluorescence quenching
• Working of optical oxygen sensors
• Advantages
• Applications in fuel tank monitoring
• Bringing new life to old arteries
• Other applications
• Companies that manufacture optical oxygen sensors
• Conclusion
References
 INTRODUCTION

• Oxygen is one of the most important molecules on our earth.

• It is integral in the cycles of life and decay: photosynthesis in plants, respiration in
animals, and most breakdown processes.
• Without oxygen, there would be no fire, no fermentation or biodegradation, and no
oxidation and corrosion to complete the circle and enable new life.
• Accurate measurement of oxygen is important not only for monitoring and studying
these processes, but also for safety.
• Management of oxygen levels in fuel tanks can prevent explosions, while headspace
measurements in food packaging can guarantee adequate shelf life.
• Monitoring oxygen can assure patient safety in point of care analysis and respiratory
settings, or indicate a sterile seal on surgical instruments and drug packaging.
 TRADITIONAL OXYGEN SENSORS

• It measures oxygen in a liquid electrochemically.

• Clarke electrode is the most commonly used method.
• It consists of a silver anode and a platinum cathode dipped into an electrolyte.
• On applying a voltage of typically 0.7 V, oxygen is electrochemically reduced at the
surface of the electrode.
• The current created when oxygen is reduced at the cathode is proportional to the oxygen
levels in the liquid.
• The drawbacks of this method are that it consumes oxygen in the process, and it depends
on the rate of oxygen diffusion into the sensor, necessitating regular stirring.
 OPTICAL OXYGEN SENSORS

• These are based upon the quenching of the fluorescence of oxygen-sensitive dye
by molecular oxygen.
• The fluorescence intensity or the fluorescence decay time, which are both
dependent on the oxygen concentration, are determined .
• Using the intensity or decay time, the oxygen concentration is calculated.
FLUORESCENCE
 FLUORESCENCE QUENCHING

• Fluorescence quenching results in the decrease of fluorescence intensity of a

given substance and can take the form of either static or dynamic quenching.

Static Dynamic
Quenching Quenching
 Static quenching • F+Q = FQ

Absorption • Ru+hv=Ru*

Fluorescence • Ru*=Ru+hv

Non radiative • Ru*=Ru

transition

Quenching • Ru*+O2 = Ru+ O2 *

• The quenching is dependent on the concentration of the quenching

molecule and on the rate which the quencher can diffuse to the excited
fluorophore.
• In optical oxygen sensors, the fluorescence quenching is due to dynamic
quenching by molecular
oxygen.
 STERN-VOLMER EQUATION

• The work function of sensors based on the

quenching of fluorescence is usually described by
the Stern–Volmer equation.
• Io and I: fluorescence intensities in absence
and presence of oxygen.
• To and T: lifetime of the material in absence
and presence of oxygen.
• [O2] : Dissolved Oxygen concentration
• KSV : Stern-Volmer constant
WORKING OF OPTICAL OXYGEN SENSOR

1) Gas or liquid path 7) LED/Laser

2) Lumophore dispersed on oxygen permeable membrane 8) Photodiode
3) Lens and filter 9) Display
4) Exciting radiation
5) Fluorescent radiation
6) Optical fiber
 ADVANTAGES

• Oxygen is not consumed during measurements.

• Sensors can be designed for different levels of O2, i.e., from very low (ppb) to very
high concentrations.
• Remote sensing is enabled by using optical fibers.
• Multiple sensing at the same site is enabled by combining sensors for O2 with others
(such as for temperature) and separating their signals by spectroscopic or electronic
means.
• Sensors work equally well for even extremely dry gases and dissolved oxygen.
• Optical sensors work well even in strong electromagnetic fields, in radioactive
environment, and under hostile environmental or chemical conditions.
 APPLICATION IN FUEL TANK MONITORING

• In 2008, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented regulations

“Reduction of Fuel Tank Flammability in Transport Category Airplanes,” that requires
that the safety of thousands of airline jet fuel tanks be up-graded to prevent explosions.
• This is done by reducing fuel tank ignition sources and the flammability exposure in
fuel tanks that are most at risk.
• Jet fuel is safe under normal conditions.
• But in abnormal circumstances, for instance where the fuel is heated by reject heat
from the plane air conditioning system, increases the vapour generated such that the
flammable range is reached.
• When the fuel vapour concentration exceeds the flammable range, the fuel is too rich
to burn if exposed to an ignition source.
• Redondo Optics Inc. (ROI) has developed an all-optical, temperature and pressure
compensated, multi-point, fiber optic oxygen sensor system suitable for monitoring
of the oxygen ullage environment inside the jet fuel tanks of aircraft.
• For this the fluorescence lifetime fiber optic optrodes are used .
• Each fuel tank on a commercial aircraft incorporates 1 or 2 optrodes.
• To monitor the environment status of the O2/T&P fiber optic optrodes installed within
the fuel tanks, ROI uses a highly integrated, lightweight, and power efficient, multi-
channel fluorescence lifetime optoelectronics interrogation system.
• The interrogator system incorporates an optical microchip that uses chip on-
submount light sources and photo-detectors connected to on-chip waveguide
structures coupled to a bi-directional optical fiber cable used to remotely excite the
fluorescence emission in the optrodes and to interrogate the fluorescence lifetime
status of the optrodes as a function of the fuel tank environment conditions.
• The fluorescence lifetime of the optrodes exhibits a direct correlation to the
measurand oxygen, temperature, and pressure parameters over the expected
commercial aircraft ground and fly environmental conditions.
• The measured oxygen concentration within the fuel tank is transmitted to the on-
board inert gas generating system (OBIGS) of the aircraft.
• The OBIGGS is an onboard system that generates a dry nitrogen-enriched air
"blanket" to cover the interior of the fuel tank and displace the flammable fuel-air
mixture.
 BRINGING NEW LIFE TO OLD ARTERIES

• One in three people over the age of 70

suffers from peripheral artery disease
(PAD), a narrowing of arteries that
occurs most often in the legs.
• Plaque, a substance composed of
cholesterol, calcium and fibrous tissue,
builds up in the arteries and hardens
over time, reducing blood flow.

Restriction of arterial blood flow due to

build up of plaque
• The treatment involves restoring the blood flow through adipose derived stem cells.
• But the inherently oxygen-deprived environment causes the majority of stem cells to
die before they can be of regenerative benefit.
• A collaboration between two labs at the University of Texas at Austin is working on a
controlled oxygen delivery system to improve the survival of stem cells during
treatment and thereby promote growth of new blood vessels.
• The teams are planning to add oxygen-saturated perfluorocarbon (PFC)
nanodroplets to the hydrogel stem cell carrier destined for implantation at the
treatment site.
Oxygen would then be released from the nanodroplets into the
surrounding tissue through laser activation.
• Therefore, there is a need to continuously measure the concentration of oxygen in the
arteries.
• The normal oxygen sensors (galvanic oxygen probes) cannot be because they are
too bulky and can result into interfernce with surroundings thus giving inaccurate
results.
• Hence optical oxygen sensors are being employed there as they are immune to most
environmental effects and can be configured with a probe that is <1 mm in diameter
for use in small samples.
 OTHER APPLICATIONS

MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS
: : : The optical oxygen sensors can be used to monitor the
oxygen levels of a patient in critical situations such as during surgery, recovery, or
while a patient is under intensive care treatment.
BIOREACTORS AND CELL CULTIVATING FLASKS : Continuos measurements of
dissolved oxygen during cell culture is done through optical oxygen sensors, to
control cellular differentiation, viability, and proliferation
MARINE BIOLOGY : The accurate measurement of oxygen concentration in fresh
and salty water environments has always solicited the interest of scientists in different
fields since monitoring the level of DO is essential to clarify several biological
processes. Oxygen optrodes are being extensively used in this area.
 Marine applications

tuberculosis

wastewater
breweries

fermentation
Process monitoring

Animal health care

 Blood gas analyzers

Beer ,wine, soft drinks

Cardiopulmonary bypass operations

 CONCLUSION

• Optical sensors for O2 have features that make them an attractive alternative to the
traditional oxygen sensors (Clark electrode).
• They also enable O2 to be sensed on a nanoscale and to be imaged over large areas.
• Thus they have a great potential to be used in a large number of areas and further
research work is going on in this area.
 REFERENCES

1. Otto S. Wolfbeis , “Luminescent sensing and imaging of oxygen: Fierce competition to the Clark
electrode ,” Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Chemo- and Biosensors, University of Regensburg,
Regensburg, Germany.
2. Herveline Glever , “Development of a dissolved oxygen sensor for marine applications” ,Dublin
city university.
3. Edgar A. Mendoza, a Cornelia Kempen, a Sunjian Sun a, Yan Esterkin, 2014 “Highly
Distributed Multi-Point, Temperature and Pressure Compensated, Fiber Optic Oxygen Sensors
for Aircraft Fuel Tank Environment and Safety Monitoring ,” Photonics Applications for Aviation,
Aerospace, Commercial, and Harsh Environments.
4. Indicators for optical oxygen sensors- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12566-012-
0032-y#Sec24
5. Ocean Optics Inc. - https://oceanoptics.com/measurementtechnique/oxygen-sensing/
THANK YOU