Optical sensing of hydrogen and hydrocarbon blends in pipelines

Accurately measuring hydrogen in hydrocarbon fuel mixtures is essential for decarbonizing natural gas networks, but current sensors are costly and impractical for large-scale use. This project develops a low-cost, real-time, and safe sensor using LED-based infrared technology to measure hydrogen content via collision-induced absorption. The scalable solution enables widespread deployment in gas infrastructure, supporting hydrogen blending, improving real-time monitoring, and facilitating safer, more cost-effective decarbonization in the energy sector. Such a decarbonized fuel network could lead to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. (The U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap predicts 10% economy-wide GHG reduction through clean hydrogen.)