A Multiport Network-Based Integrated Sensing System Using Rectangular Cavity Resonators for Volatile Organic Compounds

This work presents a novel microwave sensor system for volatile gas detection, integrating sensing elements based on rectangular cavity resonators (RCR) and multiport demodulation circuitry. Initially, a pump-through gas sensing element utilizing an RCR was developed, and its core sensing functionality was experimentally validated. Subsequently, a rat-race coupler was employed to seamlessly integrate two such rectangular cavity resonator elements-serving as reference and sensing branches-within the multiport demodulation network. This configuration enabled an in-depth investigation of the network's operating principle, elucidating the critical relationship between the reference and sensing arms. The demodulation network translates the critical output phase shift into corresponding power readings. The quantitative relationship linking phase shift to power output was rigorously characterized and utilized as the basis for estimating volatile gas concentration. Finally, a dedicated LabVIEW-based platform was developed for real-time, quantitative volatile gas monitoring. This integrated measurement system demonstrates excellent detection limits (300 ppm for acetone, 200 ppm for ethanol) and exhibits robust mitigation of measurement artifacts caused by ambient temperature and humidity fluctuations. Comprehensive theoretical analysis and experimental results jointly validate the efficacy of the proposed multiport network and RCR volatile gas sensing architecture.