@misc{RuffertMonsalveGuaracaoVoelzetal., author = {Ruffert, Christine and Monsalve Guaracao, Jorge Mario and V{\"o}lz, Uwe and Jongmanns, Marcel and Betz, Bj{\"o}rn and Langa, Sergiu and Amelung, J{\"o}rg and Wiersig, Marcus}, title = {Rapid characterisation of mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas by means of ultrasonic time-delay estimation}, series = {Journal of Sensors and Sensor Systems}, volume = {13}, journal = {Journal of Sensors and Sensor Systems}, number = {2}, issn = {2194-878X}, doi = {10.5194/jsss-13-179-2024}, pages = {185}, 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.}, language = {en} }