SULPHIDE SENSORS - Isis Project No 706

An electrochemical sensor has been developed that measures the concentration of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) or thiols in fluids.

Marketing Opportunity

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is a noxious and highly toxic gas.  It is formed as a by-product in numerous chemical processes and can be generated through the decomposition of organic matter (e.g. sewage effluent).  Additionally, hydrogen sulphide is present in crude oil, thereby creating a risk to workers in the petroleum industry who may be exposed to unacceptably high levels of this gas.  It is therefore important in many industrial processes that monitoring procedures are in place to determine the concentrations of H2S present in the environment.

The Oxford Invention

Figure 1 shows a schematic view of the Oxford electrochemical sensor.  The sensor is exposed to the sulphide/thiol-containing fluid, which may enter the device across a permeable membrane (34).  The fluid subsequently passes through two porous blocks (32 & 36), which contain an immobilised reagent that renders the sulphide/thiol-containing fluid conductive.  A potential is applied between electrodes 40 and 44, and the flow of current between electrodes 40 and 42 is measured.  The current reading is then de-convoluted to provide the concentration of sulphide/thiol.  Critically, immobilisation of the reagent in the electrochemical component (36) of the sensor enables miniaturisation of this technology, which leads to faster response times, lower consumption of reagents and lower unit costs.

Patent Status

This technology is protected by several international patents and Isis would like to talk to companies interested in exploiting the above ground use of this sensing technology. Please contact the Isis Project Manager to discuss this further.

Keywords

Electrochemical, sensor, Toxic gas sensor, sulphide sensor, H2S sensor, thiol sensor

Request Further Information: Project Number 706 Sulphide Sensors