A new palladium-nickel-based sensor could greatly improve the quality of hydrogen sensing, Engineer Live reports.

The inline, solid-state sensor, which was developed by US company H2scan, does not require oxygen to function and can detect hydrogen in almost any level of concentration.

Dominic Duggan, Sales Director at instrumentation specialist Quantitech - the firm which is making use of the sensors - believes that the technology represents a major step forward.

"Hydrogen monitoring does not take place in many applications because of the problems or costs associated with the available technologies, for example lack of specificity," he told the news provider.

"However, the new sensors from H2scan resolve these issues, offering significant advantages in process control and safety management."

While hydrogen is already used widely in applications such as petrol refineries, it also has the potential to provide the future of clean energy through fuel cells and power generation.

According to recent estimates, global hydrogen usage has increased from 21 million tonnes in 2005 to over 32 million tonnes in 2007, with that figure expected to reach 79 million tonnes by 2016.

Palladium is often used in hydrogen sensors because it selectively absorbs the gas and forms the chemical palladium hydride.

Source:

Accurate gas analysis drives process efficiency (20/11/09)

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