| Abstract Title: | Methane Detection in Industrial Environments Using Sensor-based Systems |
| Presenter Name: | Dr Edurne Ibarrola-Ulzurrun |
| Co-authors/Co-presenters: | Dr Irene Lara-Ibeas Mr Javier Fernandez |
| Company/Organisation: | Kunak Technologies |
| Country: | Spain |
Abstract Information :
Air pollution is a major concern, that not only has a climatic impact but also causes significant damage to both human population and ecosystems. The industrial sector is one major contributor to air pollution. Hence, in the last few decades, significant progress has been made in activities related to monitor and control industrial air emissions. Cost-effective and robust methods for detecting industrial pollutants, such as sensor-based air quality systems, provide real-time monitoring with suitable spatial coverage for the determination of representative pollutants at the industrial fenceline. These systems provide useful information to control emissions and help to reduce product loss, leading to cost savings. In this context, sensor-based system manufacturers have focused on integrating non-regulatory pollutant sensors relevant to different industrial sectors, such as HCl, H2S, VOCs, CH4 and NH3. The presentation will show specific applications of a low-cost methane (CH4) sensor, showing a study case in a landfill in Lisboa using a Kunak Air Pro device. Kunak Air Pro is a compact and cost-effective air quality monitor, designed for harsh environments with an easy integration of real-time data into wired industrial systems and maintaining wireless data transmission to the cloud software, Kunak Cloud. The Kunak Cloud web platform enables advanced data analysis and visualisation essential for controlling industrial emissions. It supports various functionalities such as pollution source characterization, leakage detection, hotspot identification and particle size analysis. Typically, the main limitations of most small Non-Dispersive InfraRed (NDIR) CH4 sensors are the sensor resolution (>500 ppm) and the limit of detection (>500 ppm), being unsuitable to measure methane leakages in different applications. CH4 sensors with lower resolution and limit of detection are bulky and have high power consumption and cost making them not suitable to integrate into sensor-based systems. However, a new sensor able to measure CH4 levels below 100 ppm, with a limit of detection of 60 ppm and a 1 ppm resolution was successfully integrated into the Kunak AIR Pro.The study shows the performance of a this sensor in a real application. During the study, the sensor-based system was deployed at different locations nearby (urban area) and within the landfill (close to the cells of a landfill and in a internal waste water treatment plant). Besides, other sensors as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), ammonia (NH3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particular matter as well as an anemometer were integrated into the system. Utilizing measured concentrations alongside wind speed and direction enabled to distinguish the locations of the sources for the different pollutants detected The presentation will show the usefulness of these sensors, as well as their limitations relating to their range, accuracy, environmental effects, etc. It will demonstrate how these new sensors offer real-time monitoring of industrial emissions, providing useful information on overall concentration levels. Additionally, it will show how their implementation in industrial settings can help to detect fugitive emissions and protect public health and workers’ safety.
