Fuel Cell Sensor FCS
The Hydrogen economy presents a number of challenges and opportunities if we are to decarbonise and meet the net zero targets.
A key strategy to decarbonise the UK's Natural Gas Grid is to progressively blend hydrogen into the gas grid from steam reforming or electrolysis, lowering carbon emissions by up to 9%. Up to 20% concentration hydrogen is envisioned for the UK, which is the provisional limit for domestic end users to carry on using existing appliances and infrastructure. Industrial users in processes such as glass making
will acutely feel any changes in the calorific value.
Hence, a compact, economical and robust sensor platform to accurately assess blended hydrogen is highly desired. In conjunction with Loughborough University, we have developed and patented an electrochemical Fuel Cell-based Sensor (FCS) for the monitoring of new gas contents such as hydrogen, in a blended mixture with natural gas to determine how the calorific value has changed. The new device traces the hydrogen content in natural gas and outputs a current reading in near real time, which correlates to the level in the gas stream.
FCS interconnectivity in a system has been designed in, where sensor readings from the product connect to the internet of things and integrated in end customer IT systems, so that a fully integrated sensor array to the level of regional governors is available for accurate Hydrogen gas percentages and adjustments in Wobbe readings / relative densities throughout the gas network calculated.