Highly efficient, low emission power systems have extreme conditions of high temperature, high pressure, and corrosivity that require monitoring. Sensing in these harsh environments can provide key information that directly impacts process control and system reliability. To achieve the goals and demands of clean energy, the conditions under which fossil fuels are converted into heat and power are harsh compared to traditional combustion/steam cycles. Temperatures can extend as high as 1600 Celsius (°C) in certain systems and pressures can reach as high as 5000 pounds per square inch (psi)/340 atmospheres (atm). The lack of suitable measurement technology serves as a driver for the innovations in harsh environment sensor development. Two major considerations in the development of harsh environments sensors are the materials used for sensing and the design of the sensing device. This paper will highlight the U.S. Department of Energy’s, Office of Fossil Energy and National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Program in advanced sensing concepts that are aimed at addressing the technology needs and drivers through the development of new sensor materials and designs capable of withstanding harsh environment conditions. Recent developments with harsh environment sensors will be highlighted and future directions towards in advanced sensing will be introduced.

Date Published: 30 May 2013
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 8725, Micro- and Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications V, 87250H (30 May 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2015865

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8725:
Micro- and Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications V
Thomas George; M. Saif Islam; Achyut K. Dutta, Editor(s)