Danish Hydrogen Sensor Sets New Safety Standard for Power-to-X

Challenge

Hydrogen plays a key role in the production of electrofuels using Power-to-X solutions. Safety in handling hydrogen is critical, and during hydrogen production via electrolysis, mixtures of hydrogen and oxygen gases are formed. These can pose a safety risk to both equipment and personnel. Gas concentrations must therefore be continuously monitored so that production can be shut down quickly if threshold values are exceeded. Current sensor technologies require complex measurement setups, are costly, and cannot be approved for higher safety classifications.

Solution

In a recently completed innovation project, a new sensor solution was developed and demonstrated for process monitoring of hydrogen in applications such as electrolysis plants. The new sensor offers advantages including long-term stability and internal diagnostics based on signal redundancy. These features can significantly increase uptime and, consequently, productivity in hydrogen production systems. Additionally, the sensor measures directly in the process gas, which reduces the complexity of the gas monitoring system and minimizes the need for costly pre-treatment. The sensor was developed by DTU and FORCE Technology in collaboration with partners such as Hydrogen Valley, GreenHydrogen, and Eurofins. The project concluded with a successful full-scale test of the sensor at an industrial facility operated by GreenHydrogen.

Impact

The project has demonstrated that the new sensor solution can contribute to increased hydrogen production in PtX facilities, higher uptime at electrolysis plants, and lower production costs through optimized processes. At the same time, the sensor technology paves the way for compliance with ATEX and SIL requirements, increasing flexibility in the siting of electrolysis plants and setting a new safety standard for the Power-to-X industry.