This Fuel Cell gas analyser Sensor (FCS) digitalisation project is a key digital enabler for the gas networks' drive towards net zero and decarbonisation. The net zero programme of work needs to find cheap / accurate, digitally agile sensors for gas quality control analysis, the protection of assets and the provision of accurate calorific values (CVs) for customer billing. Current sensors (e.g gas chromatographs) are considered too expensive and too slow to undertake the work required given the numbers of units potentially required. Net zero gas generation is likely to be highly distributed throughout the network and from numerous localised generation points. The fully integrated FCS system will be connected via the Internet of Things (IoT) directly into the transmission and distribution businesses and their quality control systems and respective billing systems to accurately report on calorific values, Wobbe index information and relative gas densities.

Provision of the monitoring data / information to the IOT will allow better control, transparency and monitoring of gas network data as well as providing customers with accurate local CV's through their smart metering systems.

The Des19ncor and Loughborough University team, have circa 20 skilled engineers and scientists available to work on this project and are best placed to advice on this digitisation discovery project.

Users of the innovation will include.

• Transmission and Distribution gas networks e.g. National Grid and Cadent
• Hydrogen and Bio-methane producers.
• Regulators e.g. OFGEM, HSE etc.
• Customers e.g industrial and domestic.
• Future hydrogen grid testing.

The introduction of blended hydrogen and full hydrogen into the gas networks will require a higher level of real-time quality and CV controls than currently exist in the networks today. Current systems which mainly rely on 30 year old technology, i.e. gas chromatographs, are slow to report (i.e. ranging from 4 mins to 12 mins) and have old software for reporting which will not be sufficient moving forward.

Network users will need the following to control the network adequately as they move forward to facilitate Net Zero.

• Accurate contact gas sensors which are sufficiently inexpensive to place c 00,000's into the network.
• To connect these sensors through the IOT to digital control and reporting systems.
• Local calculation of CV's at governor sites for accurate customer billing and the ability to connect sensor results to smart metering systems.
• Digital systems connected to sensors to report on embrittlement, permeability and vibration.

VIDEO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGo15qU_KK8&list=PLrMOhOrmeR6ktSag0RbT7zPNVn0p1P2f6&index=24

Problem Bring Solved

The gas industry worldwide has no sensing devices that are Internet of Things (IoT) networked and can economically measure mixed natural gas, bio-fuels and hydrogen gases in a highly distributed format, to provide the quality control and calorific values (CV), sufficient to protect assets and drive billing. A Fuel Cell gas analyser Sensors (FCS) is being developed to measure all these gases cost effectively in near real-time to provide quality control (i.e. Wobbe Index / relative density) and accurate CV's and potentially ISO 6976 calculations. This will move the industry away from a relatively low number of chromatography sample points and the use of weighted CV averages for billing purposes to accurate CV's based on point of use data available via IOT sensors.

FCS could potentially be much cheaper to buy, install and operate over the whole life cycle - up to 20 times cheaper than current technology with readings delivered near real-time data rather than the existing 'fast' 4 minutes. The current gas network has relatively few gas injection points and deploys expensive large scale measurement devices at these points. It then uses a weighted average to deduce a combined calorific value for charging purposes. Net zero gas production could result in 00,000's of locations where hydrogen and bio-gases are being created and measurement is needed. This diverse gas injection environment will create a similar demand for gas sensor units in the UK alone and perhaps 50 times as many worldwide.

FCS uses open software, has a proven technology and has recently passed its proof of concept with Innovate UK but now needs to be assessed for distributed use on the gas network. If successful the opportunities are as follows.

• Accelerate the move to Net Zero by acting as an enabler for blended H2 and bio-gas controls.
• Bring a benefit to energy customers by reducing operating costs.
• Through large and immediate data acquisition facilitate predictive asset management controls for such things as embrittlement, permeability and gas quality controls.
• Deployment of the FCS at step down governor sites could see the end of weighted average CV's for fiscal billing and enable point of delivery CV's to the customer (e.g. connecting the FCS near real-time data up to smart gas meters).
• For large industrial users the FCS could be deployed locally to assist with transition de-blending and production control.