Rapid characterisation of mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas by means of ultrasonic time-delay estimation

Abstract The implementation of the “power-to-gas” concept, where hydrogen and natural gas are blended and transported in the existing network, requires a quick, on-site method to monitor the content of hydrogen in the mixture. We evaluate a rapid characterisation of this mixture based on the measurement of the speed of sound, using micromachined ultrasonic transducers (MUTs). Two MUT-based prototypes were implemented to analyse a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen under controlled conditions. Changes in the hydrogen content below 2 mol % (in a mixture that was adjusted between 6 mol % and 16 mol %) were discriminated by both devices, including the uncertainty due to the temperature compensation and the time-delay estimation. The obtained values of the speed of sound were consistent with those calculated from independent, non-acoustic measurements performed with a gas chromatograph and a density sensor. An MUT-based flow meter is thus capable of reporting both gas intake and the molar fraction of hydrogen, provided that the source of natural gas is kept constant.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Rapid characterisation of mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas by means of ultrasonic time-delay estimation ; volume:13 ; number:2 ; year:2024 ; pages:179-185 ; extent:7 ; Journal of sensors and sensor systems ; 13, Heft 2 (2024), 179-185 (gesamt 7)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Monsalve, Jorge M. ; Völz, Uwe ; Jongmanns, Marcel ; Betz, Björn ; Langa, Sergiu ; Ruffert, Christine ; Amelung, Jörg ; Wiersig, Marcus

Further information

• DOI: 10.5194/jsss-13-179-2024
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2408061230176.742445415975
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:53 AM CEST