Miniaturized Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Gas Probe for In-Situ Detection in Oil

Abstract

This paper designs and develops a miniaturized photoacoustic spectroscopy gas probe with acoustic pressure enhancement for in-situ detection in oil-immersed power equipment. The probe adopts a single-cavity single-fiber structure, integrating the photoacoustic cell and the Fabry-P\'erot optical sensing cavity within a ceramic ferrule with an outer diameter of only 800 um. Through the electro-mechanical-acoustic equivalent model analysis of the semi-open photoacoustic cell, the enhancement mechanism is revealed that reducing the radius of the photoacoustic cell can form a flat region in the acoustic pressure response. The CrAgAu composite metal diaphragm is fabricated by electron-beam evaporation, and the gas vents are precisely machined by focused-ion-beam etching, successfully realizing the preparation of the sensor prototype. Experimental results demonstrate that the sensor exhibits a flat acoustic response in the frequency range of 2800-10000 Hz with a sensitivity of -15 dB re 1 mV/Pa. Using acetylene as the target gas, the detection limit reaches 71.4 ppb (with an integration time of 130 s) at the optimal operating frequency of 3275 Hz, and the linearity exceeds 0.998. In-oil tests verify its stable detection capability in oil-phase environments, providing a miniaturized, high-sensitivity all-optical technical solution for in-situ monitoring of dissolved gases in transformer oil.