I-Corps: Accelerated Innovation and Technology Transition in Semiconductor-Based Hydrogen and Hydrocarbon Sensors

拟议计划的目的是通过电化学和能源市场的战略合作伙伴，量化传感器技术的技术和经济可行性，以实现传感器的商业部署。这项工作的价值主张是在工业过程中提供化学检测，而以前由于操作环境恶劣而没有监测。这项工作的重点是部署一种新的、强大的化学传感器技术，该技术是由卡内基梅隆大学（CMU）的提议团队开发的。该团队已经证明了该传感技术对氢和各种碳氢化合物的灵敏度，从百万分之一到20%不等。该范围涵盖了氧化环境中氢和碳氢化合物的爆炸下限（通常为4-10%），使该技术成为检测工业过程中可能导致爆炸的故障条件的可行候选者。设备已在高温和含湿氯的恶劣环境下运行，没有观察到设备灵敏度的下降。授权这一商业努力将产生以下三个更广泛的总体影响：防止可能危及生命、损坏资本设备和造成工厂停工的爆炸；2. 推进互补技术（如电接触、数据传输）。这些技术随后可用于在类似的恶劣环境中部署其他功能（例如，原位流量控制和反馈）；3. 发展过渡性研究所需的企业专业知识。这方面包括培养研究生，使其在创新和创业过程中获得宝贵的经验。化学监测在处理易燃气体（如氢和碳氢化合物）的工业过程中至关重要。通常，由于腐蚀性环境或温度升高，在可燃气体析出点无法进行化学监测。通过部署能够在可燃气体析出点操作的传感器，可以很容易地实现对现有监测的改进。补充技术的发展（例如，工业工厂中的电触点、无线通信）将有助于对这些环境中设备操作的一般理解，这将使其他创新的部署成为可能。

The purpose of the proposed program is to quantify the technical and economic viability of the sensor technology towards commercial deployment of the sensor through strategic partners within the electrochemical and energy markets. The value proposition of this effort is to provide chemical detection in industrial processes at locations where no monitoring previously existed due to the harshness of the operating environment. The effort is centered on the deployment of a novel, robust chemical sensor technology developed by the proposing team at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The team has demonstrated the sensitivity of the sensing technology to hydrogen and various hydrocarbons ranging from parts-per-million levels to 20%. This range covers the lower explosive limit of hydrogen and hydrocarbons in an oxidizing environment (typically 4-10%), making this technology a viable candidate for detection of faulty conditions that may lead to explosions in industrial processes. Devices have been operated at elevated temperatures and in the severe environment of wet chlorine without any observed degradation of the device sensitivity. Empowering this commercial endeavor will have the following three overall broader impacts: 1. Prevent explosions, which may endanger lives, damage capital equipment and cause plant down-time; 2. Advance complementary technologies (e.g. electrical contacts, data transmission). These technologies can be subsequently used to deploy other capabilities (e.g. in-situ flow control and feedback) into similar harsh environments; 3. Develop entrepreneurial expertise required for transitional research. This aspect includes the training of a graduate student who will gain valuable experience with innovative and entrepreneurial processes. Chemical monitoring is of prime importance within industrial processes that deal with flammable gases such as hydrogen and hydrocarbons. Oftentimes, chemical monitoring is not available at the point of flammable gas evolution due to corrosive environments or elevated temperatures. Improvements to existing monitoring can be readily achieved by deploying sensors capable of operation at the point of flammable gas evolution. Development of complementary technologies (e.g. electrical contacts, wireless communications in industrial plants) will contribute to the general understanding of device operation in these environments, which will empower deployment of other innovations.