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NREL Licenses Thin-Film Fiber-Optic Hydrogen-Sensor Technology
2 March 2006
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| The sensor is the small cap on the end of the fiber optic cable in this early rendering of the system. Source: NREL. |
The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has awarded licenses to manufacture thin-film fiber-optic hydrogen sensors to Nuclear Filter Technology (NucFil).
The licenses, together with a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), allow NucFil to work with scientists and engineers at NREL further to develop thin-film fiber-optic hydrogen sensors that will then be manufactured and integrated into safety sensors for nuclear waste packages, automobiles, industrial plants and anywhere else hydrogen may be present.
Hydrogen is very reactive. It only takes about 5% hydrogen in air and a small spark to ignite. Early detection through sensors is essential to safely using hydrogen.
NREL researchers developed a thin-film fiber-optic sensor configuration that is inherently safe and resistant to electromagnetic interference. The sensor uses gasochromic thin-film materials—materials that change color in the presence of a gas, in this case, hydrogen. The sensor system probes the optical state of the films remotely with a fiber-topic light beam.
The sensor is inherently safe for detecting hydrogen leaks in air as there is no energy source that could trigger ignition at the leak site. It is immune from electromagnetic interference, and can be manufactured in high volumes at low cost.
Among the design goals for the sensor were:
A measurement range of 0.1% to 10% H2 in air
Operating temperature range of -30º to +80º C
Response time of less than 1 second
During the coming year we will focus on developing manufacturing processes and integrating the sensor into our core product lines, drum vent filters and nuclear material storage containers. Eventually we will have the sensors built into vehicles powered by fuel cells.
—Terry Wickland, VP marketing for NucFil
Resources:
March 2, 2006 in Hydrogen, Safety | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | March 03, 2006 at 09:51 AM
Thank you.
Posted by: Mike | March 03, 2006 at 11:27 AM
Fiber Optic Cabling -Technical Support- Information Web Site - - http://fiberoptic-cable.blogspot.com
Posted by: sezer | April 12, 2008 at 10:08 PM
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That should be H sub 2, not H sub s.