Spain. A spin-off of the Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M), Sensia Solutions, has developed a new low-cost infrared camera that allows to quickly and efficiently detect gas leaks that may occur in various industrial facilities.
The invention, supported by the Business Incubator of the UC3M Science Park, is based on technology patented by researchers from the Infrared Laboratory (LIR) of the Carlos III University, and allows detecting gas leaks that are usually invisible to the human eye thanks to a camera that recognizes the infrared signature of these compounds (infrared is the electromagnetic and thermal radiation of greater wavelength than visible light).
The system, called Gas Sensing System (GSS), allows you to visualize a wide range of gases of great industrial interest, such as methane, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gases, refrigerants, etc. The performance of the GSS has been validated through pilot prototypes in different industrial environments such as gas treatment stations, regasification plants, steel mills, solar thermal power plants, etc. There are several instruments on the market for gas detection, but without the advantages of this new method, according to its creators: working remotely, in real time, intuitively and at a cost 5 or 10 times lower.
"The equipment can provide service in any industrial plant in which a chemical process intervenes and there is a risk of gas leakage," explains Francisco Cortés, CEO of Sensia Solutions. In this sense, they have portable equipment that allows a technician to perform periodic inspections, although they can also install in a factory a permanent monitoring system within a closed circuit TV that generates automatic alerts when a leak is detected. This particularity is of great relevance in explosive gas installations, for example, because the system has an additional module for early and automatic fire detection. Finally, they can also embark the system on drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) to inspect facilities from the air, something that can be very useful in gas pipelines.
The GSS is currently in the industrialization phase due to the enormous interest it has aroused among large companies, especially in the Oil & Gas sector. In addition, for the development of the business plan, Sensia has the help of the SME Instrument of the European Horizon 2020 program, which has excellently rated the project.
Sensia Solutions is a spin-off of the Infrared Lab (LIR-Infrared Lab) of the Carlos III University of Madrid, is owned by UC3M and has been supported since its creation by the Business Incubator of the University Science Park. This environment, very favorable for cutting-edge technological development, has greatly facilitated the processes of knowledge transfer between the university and the business sector.
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