Process and safety sensors for hydrogen quality management

Project goals

The collaborative project includes the development of new sensors for maintaining safety and assessing the quality of green hydrogen. As a highly sensitive technology they are used in all parts of the value chain from generation to transport and storage to utilization. The three main measuring tasks include the determination of hydrogen (I) in natural gas and other process media, (II) at pressures up to 100 bar and (III) in oxygen-containing gases and air. The measurement technology to be developed is essential for the safe and widespread distribution of green hydrogen in the HYPOS region and beyond.

Application

• Development of new sensor technology: Diversity-redundant H₂ sensor system consisting of selective MOX semiconductor gas sensor, miniaturized thermal conductivity detector and hydrogen-stable pressure sensor
• Improvement of the detection limits: determination of hydrogen contents in fuel gas mixtures in the concentration range of ≤ 20 vol .-%
• Monitoring the transport of hydrogen in the natural gas infrastructure
• Process control in electrolysers and storage systems
• Safe monitoring of leaks in natural gas-hydrogen mixtures from concentrations of 500 vol.ppb over a wide concentration range