LeakAlert

The early detection of flammable gases or explosive mixtures is extremely important in order to prevent danger to people, damage to plant and equipment and the loss of natural gas during transport. Sensors for flammable gases are used in their millions in applications such as gas energy supply, at petrol stations, but also in the private sector for gas boilers and pipes.

Against this background, a new combination of materials, technologies and methods was used in the LeakAlert project to develop the first low-cost, low-power sensor system in MEMS technology that can be remotely interrogated and networked to detect combustible gases for safety technology. The wireless gas sensor node designed for flammable gases utilises the pellistor principle. The core innovations here are the use of MEMS-based ‘low power’ substrates for catalytic sensors, the reduction of the operating temperature through new catalytic materials, the use of an innovative ultra-low-power transceiver with communication ranges >100 m and corresponding ultra-low-power readout electronics. This is the first compact ultra-low-power sensor system for the quantitative detection of flammable gases that is stable over the long term and can be produced at low cost, with a power consumption of the overall system that is a hundred times lower than the state of the art. The remotely interrogated warning system has Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5. The laboratory setup has been further developed into a prototype, which is now being further analysed in a gas laboratory by simulating the operational environment.

By using the system, the resilience of the gas infrastructure can be significantly increased in industry through the immediate detection of defects, thereby reducing negative ecological impacts, financial losses and the frequency and severity of accidents. The system's low power consumption also means that modules can be used without an external power supply. This also simplifies the installation options on the systems to be monitored.