Advanced Personal Gas Detectors for Mining Applications: Final Progress Report [Phase I] [2008]

Details

• Personal Author:
  Routkevitch D
• Description:
  lnspite of continuous improvements in hazardous gas monitoring and ventilation, mining remains the second most dangerous occupation in America according to the Bureau of Labor. The risk of explosions in underground mines is high and for workers caught in the vicinity of an explosion, the consequences are frequently catastrophic, as recent disasters in the United States and other countries have demonstrated. The greatest concern is the build-up of hazardous gases (such as combustible gases and carbon monoxide) and reduction of oxygen levels. As a result, in December 2006, a new legislation was put into place that in part requires mine operators to provide an " ... MSHA-approved, handheld, multi-gas detector that can measure methane, oxygen and carbon monoxide to each group of underground miners and to each person who works alone". It is recognized that fatalities related to gas explosions and/or fire would likely be prevented or reduced if a// personnel were equipped with reliable personal gas detectors. However, the size, cost and power consumption of current portable instruments has been a barrier to such deployment. Many end users have suggested that they would be eager to outfit all employees (not just the groups or those working alone) with personal protection devices if they were more affordable (currently from $350 for combustible gases, to over $575 for multigas detection). Additionally, the stability, cost and reliability of gas sensors used in such instruments must be improved to enable fail-safe operation. And finally, due to their high power consumption, these sensors require large batteries (often with daily replacement or recharging), further complicating the logistics, increasing operational costs and presenting additional burden to the miner. Synkera addresses these issues by proposing development and commercialization of a new generation of inexpensive, reliable and portable combustible gas detectors for personal use. This lightweight, credit card sized Smart Gas Card is aimed at cost and ease-of-use targets that facilitate use by a// individuals working in an explosive gas environment. The Phase I of this SBIR project was focused on evaluating the feasibility of a critical element of such detector, namely a low power, high performance reliable microsensor for detection of combustible gases. This sensor is based on our patented technology that integrates nanostructured sensing elements into a robust monolithic ceramic device and offers numerous advantages relative to existing combustible gas sensors: High sensitivity and rapid response time. Improved selectivity via advanced operating modes enabled by low thermal mass. Superior chemical, thermal and mechanical stability; high reliability and long lifetime. Miniature size, low power consumption, flexible design and packaging options. Low cost and superior consistency afforded by cost-saving scalable manufacturing. In the Phase I of this project, Synkera met or exceeded most of the project goals. For the first time, prototypes combustible gas microsensors with power consumption as low as of 50 mW were fabricated and successfully tested for methane detection. A novel "temperature pulse" mode of operation was also demonstrated that increases the discrimination among different combustible gases and reduces power consumption further by as much as 50 to 90%. The Phase I findings clearly demonstrated the feasibility of proposed microsensors and confirmed their potential to enable novel small, lightweight and affordable gas detectors for personal protection in hazardous environments. The main consequence of the Phase I research is a breakthrough opportunity to develop highly competitive sensors that address the industry needs for low cost and reliable personal gas safety monitors. The proposed sensors and Smart Gas Cards TM have a clear potential to impact mining safety practices by helping mine operators equip every miner with personal multigas detector at a significantly lower cost then with current instruments, thus complying with and exceeding current federal safety regulations. When fully developed and deployed, these products will provide a substantial benefit to worker health and safety and will help to make drastic changes in mining safety, empowering individuals to make life-saving decisions when confronted with hazardous conditions. This technology also has extremely good prospects in world-wide industrial health and safety markets that are poised to grow substantially as government regulations and industry practices move toward equipping every worker with a complete set of safety tools. The main objective of the follow-up R&D in Phase II is to advance the microsensor technology to a readiness level that meets required performance targets, to develop and validate the performance of Smart Combustible Gas Card prototypes, and secure partnerships for scale-up and commercialization of combustible gas microsensors and related Smart Gas Card products. Synkera already have commitments from several leading OEM manufacturers of portable and permanent gas safety equipment and are actively pursuing partnership and investment support for launching high volume manufacturing of Smart Gas Cards. In summary, The Phase I results form a solid framework for a comprehensive Phase II development effort focused on prototyping/demonstration/validation to set the stage for Phase Ill commercial production of high-performance, durable Smart Gas Card detectors that can significantly improve mining safety, save lives and address significant market needs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Detectors Explosive Gases Gas Detectors Mining Industry Monitoring Systems Sensors Underground Mines
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-21
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061130
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2022-100322
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R43-OH-009026, 2008 Nov; :1-21
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Performing Organization:
  Synkera Technologies, Inc., Longmont, Colorado
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20070401
• End Date:
  20110831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f9bec148e9c9d9c413cfcd5bfa8ab4562752ad2c80855901d819bbd8b5edca73e954e1256aaeb3961755bce69c75197a7fa1504e48eb0df01732f418c560d40e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219021/cdc_219021_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 533.08 KB ]