Automotive and other energy-intensive industries have an interest in monitoring emissions and combustion efficiencies of their vehicles and plants. Incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, the primary source of energy for these processes, emit carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon gas, which can impact the environment and human health.
In order to provide real-time feedback and measurements to monitor combustion processes and related emissions, gas sensors are used. These sensors work by allowing gases to interact with sensing materials to generate a measurable signal. If a measured signal is above a set level, it will trigger an alarm.
However, monitoring can be challenging due to the high temperatures inherent in these settings. Currently, high-temperature gas sensors have some issues. They exhibit poor thermal stability, have low sensitivity at high temperature, and readings can be impacted by interference from other gases that manufacturers are not interested in measuring. There are few sensors on the market that can meet performance requirements within these harsh operating conditions.
Centennial Professor in UConn’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yu Lei, has patented an improved gas sensing technology for use in industrial applications. His technology uses a highly porous nanomaterial that is stable at high temperatures (e.g. 800 degrees Celsius), and is highly sensitive to gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, making it suitable for monitoring combustion efficiency and emissions for a wide range of applications.
Lei’s device also uses a new impedancemetric technique that operates at a fixed high frequency which minimizes the interference from other gases in a combustion mixture. This allows for highly selective readings.
Moreover, Lei’s process to produce this nanomaterial is much easier and more affordable than the existing methods, with many potential uses once commercialized.
“This sensor is operated in a simple configuration and will bring a potential leap in various combustion monitoring and control device development,” Lei says. “It will also impact other sectors areas, such as energy harvesting and storage, petroleum and coal refineries, and pollution control.”
Lei received his Ph.D. from the University of California Riverside in 2004 before joining the UConn Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering faculty the same year. He is now one of five named Castleman Distinguished Professors. His research focuses on the development of a diverse array of sensor technologies that are novel, simple, ultrasensitive and universal.
US Patent Number: US 10,228,345
