Small instruments equipped with this miniature UV light source now allow concentrations of substances to be measured rapidly in the field
The FiberLight miniature UV light source from Heraeus Noblelight is said to be the only deuterium lamp which satisfies the requirements for UV spectroscopy in-situ.
Until now, quantitative water analysis for nitrates, nitrides, bisulphides or total nitrogen, COD and phosphorus has needed to be carried out in the laboratory.
New, small UV spectroscopy instruments equipped with the miniature UV light source now allow concentrations of these substances and other materials to be measured very quickly in-situ.
FiberLight is a tiny deuterium lamp, which except for its typical continuous UV spectrum differs significantly from other high stability deuterium lamps.
The lamp is robust and reliable and, even under harsh conditions, offers good UV intensity and stability.
It is high-frequency-excited and is operationally ready within seconds.
The lamp offers over 1000 hours of operation and, as it can be quickly switched on and off when measurements are taking place, this translates into a very long life time.
It has a power requirement of around 3W, which allows usage for several months before the need for battery replacement.
Moreover, heat generation is negligible so that the lamp can be operated in a self-contained instrument.
The miniature UV light source can also be supplied with various gas fillings.
Noble gases as well as mercury and NOx provide a number of emission lines in the UV/vis spectrum.
These emission lines are especially suitable for measurements where the features of small line width and constant wavelength are used.
Typical examples are photometric analysis and wavelength calibration, as well as absorption measurements of gases.
Instruments fitted with FiberLight have been used for water analysis in sewage plants and in environmental monitoring generally and for quality control of liquids.
A report has been recently published from the Monterey Bay Research Institute describing the mapping of concentrations of nitrate, nitride, bisulphide and bromide in large areas of the southern ocean.
The concentration was established by means of an optical probe directly from the absorption of the deuterium spectrum (200nm - 400nm) in sea water.
FiberLight provided the UV radiation.
The concentration of the individual components of the absorption spectra was evaluated using digital processing methods.
The spectral photometer was positioned in the sea for some months at a depth of up to 4000m.
The spectra were measured in seconds and evaluated automatically on site.
