Wireless Gas Leak Detection and Localization

Abstract

Thousands of industrial gas leaks occur every year, with many leading to injuries, deaths, equipment damage, and a disastrous environmental effect. There have been many attempts at solving this problem, but with limited success. This paper proposes a wireless gas leak detection and localization solution. With a monitoring network of 20 wireless devices covering 200m^2, 60 propane releases are performed. The detection and localization algorithms proposed here are applied to the collected concentration data, and the methodology is evaluated. A detection rate of 91% is achieved, with seven false alarms recorded over three days, and an average detection delay of 108 seconds. The localization results show an accuracy of 5 meters. Recommendations for future explosive gas sensor design are then presented.