Sensor Node

Detecting methane leaks in oil & gas plants is essential both for safety management and for planning plant maintenance. Given the large number of points needed to monitor a plant, and with a view to keeping operating costs as low as possible, we were asked for harvesting solutions that would make the life of the sensor virtually unlimited.

An ARM microcontroller handles the infrared gas sensor, data transmission and power management.

This last point was the hardest part of the project. In the solar-powered version, the microcontroller has to oversee the charging of the supercapacitors so as to guarantee the agreed number of readings and transmissions, while always keeping enough charge in reserve for an emergency transmission.

In the battery-powered version, power consumption remains equally critical, since operating periods of more than 15 years have to be guaranteed.

Data is transmitted using the LoRa protocol over an 868 MHz RF link. Within this project, DAOS also supplies the network infrastructure, handles ATEX certification of the product and builds it in line with the quality standards specific to this brand.

Gas detection sensor, low power consumption, energy harvesting