Adam RollinsThis story was originally published in the Government Contracting Pipeline newsletter from Strategic Partnerships, Inc. To have the latest government contracting news stories from across the country delivered straight to your inbox, click here to subscribe.
Most modern methods to detect hydrogen leaks are primarily focused on larger volumes that pose fire hazards along supply chains. However, smaller leaks that are more difficult to detect, while they might not pose a significant fire danger, can severely impact the environment and climate if left unaddressed. The Department of Energy (DOE) is investing $18 million to research and develop sensors that detect and quantify hydrogen concentrations in the range of parts per billion.
The nine selected projects are a part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) H2SENSE exploratory topic. These projects center around developing innovative, cost-effective, precise methods to detect and quantify hydrogen gas.
While hydrogen plays a crucial role in decarbonization industries across the world, excessive amounts can extend the lifetime of other greenhouse gases. Both public and private entities will use these solutions to help mitigate the amount of hydrogen released into the atmosphere.
Some notable projects include:
The Vernova Advanced Research Center in Niskayuna, New York, will combine a high-fidelity, cost-effective gas sensing technology with physics enhanced analytics to detect hydrogen leaks at industrial sites. The technology will have a higher localization capability, able to differentiate and rank multiple leaks within 10 meters of the actual leak location. The technology can be used to evaluate hydrogen sites across diverse geographic location and climate conditions to safeguard industrial workspaces.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) will develop a laser-based hydrogen detection system to image and record videos of hydrogen leaks. The system uses an imaging technique designed to quantitatively image hydrogen plumes with extreme spatial detail. Operators can mount the system on a quadcopter to cover large areas. Recorded videos can be used with computer algorithms, data science and computational fluid dynamics to estimate leak rates.
Northeastern University in Boston will develop a platform that integrates miniaturized, near-zero power hydrogen sensing technology with airflow modeling. The resulting sensor nodes will create detailed geographic heatmaps of hydrogen concentrations and flows within a predetermined area. These sensors can last for years before replacement, running on a low-power battery that only activates when detecting elevated hydrogen levels. Public and private entities will use this platform as a precise, cost-effective method to improve hydrogen emissions monitoring.
Photo courtesy Michael Barera
