The Picarro G2401-m gas concentration analyzer provides simultaneous, precise measurement of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) at parts-per-billion (ppb), and water (H2O) vapor at parts-per-million (ppm) sensitivity with negligible drift for atmospheric science, air quality, and emissions quantification. Flight-optimized design elements minimize effects of aircraft vibration, pitch, roll, and rapidly changing ambient conditions. As a result, the analyzer can be operated on aircraft for urban mapping or vertical profiles.
Simultaneous and continuous measurement of four atmospheric trace gases
Parts-per-billion sensitivity, precision, and accuracy with exceptionally low drift
Rugged design for guaranteed performance during flight
Water correction automatically reports dry gas mole fractions
Precision at 5 minutes with vibration at 20 Hz, 1 g and 60 minutes is ≤30 ppb for CO; ≤200 ppb for CO2; and ≤2 ppb for CH4. Drift at standard temperature and pressure (STP) over 24 hours is ≤15 ppb for CO; ≤200 ppb for CO2; and ≤1.5 ppb for CH4. Drift remains low with changing temperature and pressure (see data sheet for details). Water correction software automatically reports dry gas mole fractions to help reduce research complexity and consumable costs.
Picarro pressure tests all flight analyzers in a hyperbaric chamber to guarantee performance at altitude. During the test, the chamber pressure cycles between 760 and 250 Torr as the analyzer measures a constant-concentration gas stream delivered at the same pressure as the hyperbaric chamber. Pressure test results for CO, CO2 and CH4 of an actual production analyzer are shown.
