Application and research of wireless laser methane sensor in drainage pipeline monitoring

Abstract

Laser methane sensor has been widely promoted and successfully applied in coal mines as a new and effective technology building on the approach of laser-based absorption detection. Compared with the traditional catalytic methane sensor, the laser methane sensor discussed offers the important advantages of a long calibration period, high detection precision, the absence of ‘zero drift and low power consumption, all of which are significant advantages for use in coal mining applications. By compensating for the temperature and pressure of the gases present, the accuracy of the methane sensor is evident across a wide range of temperatures and pressures, making it suitable for gas detection, including methane, in pipelines as well. The wireless laser approach which is incorporated into the methane sensor allows wireless transmission and data uploading to a cloud server through NB-IoT. This tackles the problem in gas pipeline monitoring of the length of many pipelines and thus the wide distribution of the sensors, avoiding complicated wiring and thus high associated cost. Further, remote data management can then be achieved, all of which greatly improves the flexibility and security of the management of the pipeline and the data generated.