Unique, Compact and Ultra-Portable GHG Analyzer Enables In-Situ Measurements Anywhere

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Gatos Research (LGR), the leader in precision trace gas analyzers, has introduced the world's first ultra-portable greenhouse gas (GHG) analyzer, which reports methane, carbon dioxide and water vapor with parts per billion precision and accuracy in a rugged, crush-proof and compact package. This new Ultra-portable Greenhouse Gas Analyzer (UGGA) simultaneously measures CO2, CH4 and H2O concentrations, without cross sensitivity with other gases and consumes less than 70 watts. In addition, unlike instruments based on non-laser techniques, LGR's UGGA automatically corrects the CO2 and CH4 for all water vapor dilution and spectroscopic effects and reports both species as dry mole fractions, eliminating the need for sample drying for highest accuracy. These advantages make the UGGA ideal for portable operation - in a vehicle, plane or ship - as well as for remote, extended operation at challenging locations and sites with full control via the Internet.

The UGGA features a very wide linear dynamic range from parts-per-million to percent levels. For example, the Extended Range option enables high precision measurement of CH4 up to concentrations as high as 10%. Moreover, like all LGR analyzers, this new analyzer has an internal computer (Linux OS) that can store data on an internal disk drive and send data, in real time, to a data logger via digital (RS-232), analog or Ethernet outputs. The combination of portability, remote operation, data archiving, absolute accuracy, and huge dynamic range make the UGGA well-suited for use by federal, state and local monitoring agencies, where operational flexibility and reliability are paramount requirements.

Small enough to be carried on-board aircraft (TSA approved size) and requiring less energy than an ordinary light bulb, the UGGA opens up new opportunities to measure GHGs anywhere. It is ideal for field studies, compliance monitoring of industrial emissions and landfills, leak detection, air quality studies, soil flux studies, and wherever measurements of methane, carbon dioxide and water vapor are needed.

LGR precision gas analyzers are based on the company's patented Off-axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) technology, a fourth generation, cavity-enhanced laser absorption technique. This unique approach is both more rugged and more precise than earlier cavity-enhanced techniques, such as conventional cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS), because the performance of OA-ICOS does not need ultra-precise alignment or sub nanometer stability of its optics, or a high degree of thermal control. This ensures higher absolute accuracy, longer maintenance intervals, higher reliability and reduced cost of ownership.

LGR (www.LGRinc.com) makes the world's most precise, rugged and reliable instruments for measurements of trace gases and isotopes. LGR instruments have been deployed by scientists for acquiring the most accurate measurements possible on all seven continents, in unmanned aerial vehicles, in mobile laboratories, on research and commercial aircraft, and in undersea vehicles.

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SOURCE LGR, Inc.