All LGR-ICOS analyzers utilize a unique laser absorption technology called Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA-ICOS). This ABB-patented technique offers numerous advantages compared to other laser-based techniques, but is also regarded as being disruptive in the industrial world as it displaces long-established measurement technologies such as lead acetate tapes, chilled mirrors, NDIR, FTIR, electrochemical sensors, gas chromatography, paramagnetic sensors or mass spectrometry in various applications.
Cavity enhanced absorption was first developed as an ultra-sensitive detection method by LGR (now ABB) founder Anthony O'Keefe in 1988i in the form of CRDS. While innovative, this first-generation technique requires sub-nanometer alignment of its internal optics, which translates directly into limitations in terms of high cost, reliability, and vulnerability to vibrations and temperature/pressure changes.
To overcome these drawbacks, our scientists developed, and subsequently patented, a fourth-generation cavity enhanced laser absorption technology called OA-ICOS. This approach represents the latest advance in tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy and delivers superior performance and reliability, yet is orders-of-magnitude less sensitive to internal alignment of components and to variations in local temperature and pressure. As a result, OA-ICOS is ideal for use in commercial instruments for even the most demanding applications in remote and/or hazardous locations.
Advantages & Benefits
Ultrahigh Sensitivity : Detect contaminants at ppt/ppb-levels
Accuracy / Highly Selective : High accuracy to optimize
process monitoring and control
Fast : Low T90 flow response time allows for process control and real-time monitoring; Quick refresh rate for ultra-precise time measurement
Wide Linear Dynamic Range : Accurately quantify both trace and % levels for measurements during routine operation and excursion events
Ruggedness : Highest stability, minimal downtime (low maintenance)
Easier, faster and cheaper maintenance : Low cost of ownership, minimal downtime (field serviceable)
Stability: Real-time signal compensation in real-time (X+Y axes) supress need for recalibration