Scientists Put Hope in Hydrogen Sensors
John Trumbo, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, WA
A tiny buttonlike sensor may be the key to bringing the world into the hydrogen age.
At least that is what Dan Briscoe, vice president of business development at Apollo in Kennewick, hopes will happen in the next few years.
Apollo has developed the hydrogen gas sensor with the help of scientists at the Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry in Moscow.
Briscoe said the two entities linked up at the suggestion of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Global Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention Program.
Briscoe said PNNL approached Apollo about four years ago with the idea to work with Russian scientists on designing and building a better hydrogen gas sensor that would be more reliable, work faster and cost less than commercially available sensors currently in use.
The collaboration resulted in a cooperative research and development agreement between Apollo and Battelle, which operates PNNL as a Department of Energy lab.
Battelle licensed the patent applications in May 2006, and Apollo applied for the global patent on the new hydrogen gas sensor in September.
Having a gas sensor that is fast and reliable is the key to taking advantage of developing hydrogen-based energy and power systems, Briscoe said.
The button-sized sensors can detect hydrogen in minute amounts in parts per million, which is important because concentrations of the gas of only 4 percent can result in an explosion, Briscoe said.
Briscoe said Apollo created a a new division, Apollo Sensor Technology, to help develop a market for the sensors and find the right high-tech company to help make the items. He expects they will be priced between $100 and $200 each, which is less than one-tenth the cost of the best hydrogen gas sensors available today.
"What makes our sensor different from others is it has a large range or spectrum of detection sensitivity, and can respond with a reading in less than one second," Briscoe said.
Apollo's Russian-designed sensor also has very little cross-sensitivity to other gases which would give false positive readings, and it is more durable than other sensors, not requiring frequent recalibrations, he said.
The sensors would be ideal for safety detection systems in futuristic hydrogen-powered cars, but that potential is at least 10 to 15 years a way, Briscoe said.
A better market for the sensors already exists where hydrogen is the fuel for internal combustion engine power plants, such as with emergency backup systems used at microwave towers, radio stations and hospitals in the event of conventional power system failures.
Briscoe said the demand for hydrogen sensors in those areas could be 10,000 to 12,000 units a year.
The sensors also would be valuable safety units at petroleum refineries where hydrogen gas is involved in processing heavy crude to light crude.
Briscoe said if the commercialization and marketing goes well, the Apollo Sensor Technology product could be selling 100,000 units annually by 2011.
Because of the collaboration through PNNL with the Russian scientists, the profits would be split three ways, he said.
Reprinted with permission. Original article: http://www.advancedimagingpro.com/article
/article.jsp?siteSection=7&id=3549
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