Infrared monitoring of underground CO2 storage using chalcogenide glass fibers

International audience; An optical-fiber-based system suitable for monitoring the presence of carbon dioxide, so-called "greenhouse gas", is investigated. Since each pollutant gas shows a characteristic optical absorption spectrum in the mid-infrared (mid-IR), it is possible to detect selectively and quantitatively the presence of gases in a given environment by analysing mid-IR spectra. The main infrared signature of carbon dioxide gas is a double absorption peak located at 4.2 μm. Chalcogenide optical fibers, which can transmit light in the 1-6 μm range, are well-adapted for CO2 analysis. In this wavelength range, they show attenuation losses that compare favourably with other types of fi…