Experts from Polish oil and gas company PGNiG and the Silesian University of Technology have joined forces to work on a new innovative sensor for detecting hydrogen, after securing funding from the Polish National Centre for Research and Development.
The funding granted by the National Centre for Research and Development relates to the Low-temperature hydrogen sensors based on polycarbazole and its derivatives (HydroSens) program. The project focuses on the development of sensors for the detection of hydrogen in gas mixtures, including those containing natural gas. These devices will be able to be used, among others for testing hydrogen content in mixtures transported through distribution and transmission networks.
“As part of the PGNiG Hydrogen Program, we are implementing the InGrid – Power to Gas project,” saidArkadiusz Sekściński, Vice President of the PGNiG Management Board for Development. “It includes research on the production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources and the possibility of transmitting this fuel using natural gas distribution networks.”
“The sensors on which we are working with our scientific partner – the Silesian University of Technology as part of HydroSens, will allow us to quickly detect hydrogen in installations,” he continued. “Thanks to this, we will be able to monitor its optimal level for the safety and proper operation of transmission and distribution networks as well as other installations using this fuel.”
The HydroSens project uses polymer semiconductors (conductive polymers) as a material for the production of hydrogen sensors. Currently, chromatographs are used to measure hydrogen in gas networks. However, these devices are expensive and require specialised maintenance. The sensors developed by the consortium of PGNiG and the Silesian University of Technology aim to lower production costs, increase reliability and make it easier to use. In addition to the quick detection of hydrogen in distribution networks, the sensor can also be an element of controllers for devices adapted to be supplied with fuels of variable composition, for example, gas boilers.
“Existing hydrogen sensors use inorganic semiconductors, the production of which requires numerous energy- and material-consuming unit operations, while the sensors we are developing are made of solutions capable of detecting hydrogen in air and other gases, for example, in natural gas,” explained Professor Tomasz Jarosz from the Faculty of Chemistry and Head of the project’s team at the Silesian University of Technology.
The project was submitted by the consortium of PGNiG and the Silesian University of Technology under the European program M-ERA.NET 3 Call 2021, an initiative supporting scientific work aimed at strengthening the European economy and industry through the use of innovative materials and material technologies. M-ERA.NET 3 involves 50 research funding agencies in 36 countries. The program is also supported by the European Commission.
