A fiber-optic sensor has been developed to monitor carbon dioxide dissolved in sea water. The sensor consists of optical fibers, a gas permeable membrane and a fluorescence indicator solution. The fluorescence indicator was 1-Hydroxypyrene-3, 6, 8-Trisulfonic Acid Trisodium Salt (HPTS). As carbon dioxide diffuses through the gas permeable membrane (the hydrophobic membrane), it causes a pH change in the solution that results in a fluorescence change from the deprotonated form (PTS
4-) of HPTS. A theoretical calculation of the characteristic evaluation of HPTS showed that the sensitivity was optimum at pH 6.5-8.0. Therefore, the sensitivity could be increased by adjusting the pH of the indicator solution in this range in the measuring range of carbon dioxide. The solution has no dependence on pH when the concentration of the fluorescent material was more than 5 ×10
-4 kmol m
-3, because the excitation light was attenuated. The fluorescence intensity change for the carbon dioxide concentration-change (0-600 ppmv) was detected by CCD detector. The response time of the sensor when the concentration of carbon dioxide was shifted from 0 to 100 ppmv was longer than that when the concentration was shifted from 100 to 200 or more ppmv. Tubular membrane and flat membrane types of probes were used. The response time was affected by the membrane thickness, the diffusion length of carbon dioxide in the indicator solution. It was possible to shorten the response time of the probe by using PTFE membrane (pore diameter: 1.0μm, thickness: 85μm), and this response time was 10 min when the concentration of carbon dioxide changes by 100 ppmv at concentrations above 200 ppmv.
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