Infrared camera targets industry gas leaks
A spin-off company of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) in Spain has developed a new low-cost infrared camera that enables the quick and efficient detection of gas leaks in industrial facilities.
Sensia Solutions, which received funding from Horizon 2020’s SME Instrument to help develop its business plan, created the instrument called the Gas Sensing System (GSS), which can detect leaks that are normally invisible to the human eye. This is made possible by the camera’s ability to recognise the infrared signature of such compounds; the system is able to detect a wide range of gases, such as methane, natural gas, LPGs and coolants.
The instrument also has the ability to work intuitively and remotely in real time and at a cost that is up to ten times lower. According to Sensia, the benefits of the GSS have been validated through pilot prototypes in different industrial environments like gas treatment stations, regasification plants, steelworks and thermosolar plants.
Providing further details Francisco Cortés, CEO of Sensia Solutions, said: “The equipment can provide service in any industrial plant where chemical processes are involved and there is a risk of gas leak. In this regard, they have portable equipment that allows a technician to make periodic inspections, although they can also install a permanent monitoring system in a factory, within a closed circuit TV that generates automatic alerts when it detects a leak.
“This feature is very important in explosive gas installations, for example, because the system has an additional unit for early and automatic detection of fire. Lastly, the system can also be placed on drones to inspect installations from the sky, something that could be very useful for gas pipelines.”
The GSS is currently being implemented in industry, with particular interest from the oil and gas sectors.
