Low Cost Hydrogen Monitor for Continuous Quantification of Facility Emissions

C56-18d-273148The portfolio of future energy solutions must consider increased hydrogen use, as it serves the critical need of being a carbon-free energy transport medium. However, hydrogen is highly flammable and is a potent indirect greenhouse gas. Hydrogen facilities that will enable socially- responsible use of this energy source therefore need to detect, quantify, and mitigate hydrogen emissions and leaks. Localizing and quantifying hydrogen emissions is currently impossible due to the absence of fast, sensitive, and specific hydrogen analyzers. This project will design, construct, and validate both a low-cost sensor for real-time hydrogen detection and develop methods to use the sensors to pinpoint industrial emissions. The project will couple our novel hydrogen conversion front end with a sensor that is much less expensive than our current ultra-high sensitivity instrument offering. The low-cost system will remain rapid (1 second or faster) but meet a lower cost point by moving to near-IR and fiber- coupled laser technology while retaining a sensitivity of 30 ppb or better. In parallel with the low-cost design and demonstration work, we will develop an analytical system to quantify facility- level emissions geared toward use by industry operators. We envision a robust modeling system that will continuously estimate emission magnitudes and locations, providing rapid, actionable feedback to operators to mitigate leaks that may otherwise go unnoticed. Success during Phase I relies upon completion of several tasks: i) refining an existing fiber-coupled near-IR absorption spectrometer design for longer pathlength; ii) construct and evaluate the benchtop absorption spectrometer coupled to a previously developed hydrogen conversion system; iii) develop and field test a source dispersion model that can be readily applied at facility fenceline for rapid determination of emission location and magnitude; and iv) design a prototype to be constructed during Phase II that integrates the hydrogen converter, network interface, and weatherproofing into a single unit. Aerodyne is committed to commercializing the resulting monitor and emissions detection system, making it widely usable by the energy industry. In Phase II we envision construction of a prototype monitor for initial deployment at a controlled release demonstration site and working with an industry partner to deploy a pilot system. During this period will seek to strengthen the collaborative aspects of the program by drawing on the expertise of our research partners: Cornell University, Colorado State University, NREL, and the Environmental Defense Fund.