Pinpointing hydrogen leaks from a safe distance with ultrasound cameras

While hydrogen is enjoying an unprecedented momentum, its production, storage and transportation pose technical challenges, as hydrogen is highly flammable. In particular, leak detection method is an essential step to achieve hydrogen safe use. However, traditional hydrogen leak detection methods pose some limitations. On the one hand, fixed hydrogen concentration detectors can only detect if a leak is present, without revealing the location of the leak. Moreover, these detectors have high chances of missing leaks when outdoors. On the other hand, portable sniffers are tedious to use, and can put operators at risk by being within potentially explosive atmospheres. In addition, leak findings strongly depend on the operator and how thorough inspections are made.

Here we propose ultrasound cameras for hydrogen leak detection, the unique method to pinpoint leak locations from a distance, without contact. The Distran ultrasound camera detects leaks by detecting the ultrasounds they emit. When the ultrasound waves emitted by a leak reach the front panel of the camera, the sensor is able to triangulate the origin of the ultrasound emissions, being the leak point. In real-time, the ultrasound camera provides a clear pinpointing of the leak on an wide angle optical image of the surroundings, enabling operators to precisely know the source of the problem and therefore act quickly. Besides leak detection, the Distran device also provides an option to quantify leak rates (in L/h), by using a specific quantification model that converts the sound pressure level emitted by hydrogen leaks into volumetric leak rates, enabling the classification of leaks to stablish maintenance priorities. The technology is also efficient outdoors, as well as within noisy industrial environments, as the sensor filters out noises outside of the ultrasound detection bandwidth. In addition, Distran offers an intrinsically safe ultrasound camera, Ultra Pro X, which can therefore enter hazardous areas.

Through real life examples, including inspection pictures and videos, Distran will demonstrate the capacity of ultrasounds cameras to pinpoint hydrogen leaks from a distance, and quantify their leak rates to coordinate relevant maintenance operations.