Lumiker, Tecnalia, Enagás and the Aragón Hydrogen Foundation work together on the design of a hydrogen detection system.
The first demonstration phase of field tests with fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, developed by Lumiker in collaboration with Tecnalia, has been completed. Part of the European OPTHYCS project, the tests were conducted to validate the sensors' capacity for early and highly accurate detection of hydrogen leaks, and to evaluate the performance of the sensors under varying conditions of concentration, pressure, flow rate and location.
Over three days, the technical team from the Aragón Hydrogen Foundation worked side by side with colleagues from Lumiker, Tecnalia and Enagás. The simulations were performed on a specifically designed and monitored ad-hoc test bench, which enabled all parameters to be closely monitored. Different fibre optic sensor configurations were tested and various types of simulated leaks were applied, including point leakages and programmed leakage ramps, both progressive and stepwise.
After more than 15 tests, the detection system performed excellently under different hydrogen flows. The sensitivity of the sensors to environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, was also confirmed, a crucial factor in the design of robust monitoring systems in real environments. The large amount of data generated during the tests will be analysed in depth over the coming weeks.
These tests are a vital step in the validation of the new fibre optic sensor technologies developed by the OPTHYCS project partners. The project aims to significantly increase the safety of hydrogen applications along the entire value chain, from production to storage and distribution. This includes both new infrastructure designed specifically for pure hydrogen and repurposed facilities and pipelines that originally transported natural gas.
Source: Fundación Hidrógeno Aragón
