Low cost Methane detection using Arduino

[aleith1]

Hi There PLOTs

I've searched you site for a low cost methane detector. I found the H2S detector. Perhaps it's just a matter of finding a CH4 detector on ebay? Anybody have experience.

The reason I ask is the issue of fugitive emissions from the fast growing epidemic of Coal Seam Gas operations in North-Eastern Australia and providing citzens a means of measuring before, during and after mining operations, since the industry is not bothering to do this work and is not required to.

A recent scientific study that is yet to be written up found the most concentrated methane levels in any gas field in the world, including Siberia. ABCTV story on 730 show should be up here in 24hrs time.

Noticed manufacturer of the H2S sensor also makes a few methane sensors. Can anybody comment on the suitability of these sensors of environmental methane detection (levels of three times background levels found in above mentioned studies) or on their power requirements?

 

Best
Alastair

Alastair I Leith

Useful Design
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[Eyal Saiet]

It is funny,
Thees days I am working on constructing a methane detector using the Figaro 2600, what Alastair pointed out, together with a Temp and RH sensor for better accuracy, all managed by an aurduino.
This might be of interest...http://www.atmos-meas-tech-discuss.net/5/2567/2012/amtd-5-2567-2012.html
Have fun
E

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Eyal Saiet

[aleith1]

Thanks for the link, Eyal. Where did you buy the sensor, online?

I guess the main issue is going to be calibrating for temperature and humidity adjustments to readings.

Let me know how you've gone when it's up and working.

Best
Alastair

Alastair I Leith

Useful Design
03 9480 5506
0432 889 831
30    Birch   St
West  Preston
VIC   3072 Au

[Eyal Saiet]

In the paper I sent, there is a function that describes  how to account for changes in RH and Temp.
All this can be managed by a small aurduino.
Eyal

[Lise Brenner]

Hi - I don't know if the technology referenced in this article does
what you are looking for - this is a citizen's group in PA dealing
with natural gas hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale

http://www.damascuscitizensforsustainability.org/2012/11/damascus-baseline/

[Sara Ann Wylie]

Hi Alastair, Eyal and Lise

I'd be happy to help you all get a tool page started to support and document
work on this methane project? Also I could help out building some contact in
gas patch communities who might also find this useful.

Just let me know!

Sara

[liselb...@gmail.com]

Thanks! I will contact the group who produced the link I shared
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[Lise Brenner]

Hello all -
So - I was just asked by some of the folks working on keeping proposed
fracked gas pipelines from being built in New York City if I could
post the two following requests. They are not solely methane-related
so maybe don't belong in this thread--.

Caveat: I am not sure if either of these is something for this group
or if these requests have been well enough thought through to be
workable. I am really happy to discuss further and if anyone has a
suggestion of other people to approach, love to know. Thanks in
advance for any advice/recommends etc.

From Sane Energy Project:
1. One of our goals is to prevent boiler conversions in residential
city buildings (ie in NYC). We have a list of addresses of buildings
that are required to stop using number 6 oil, but what we need are the
names and apartment numbers of their board presidents (and if
possible, all board members). Could someone with the ability to cross
reference data be able to figure this out?

2. Some kind of violation meter for the NYC pipeline builders: a.
Spectra (currently building the pipeline from Jersey across the Hudson
into the West Village) and b. Williams Transco (proposal for building
across the wetlands in the Rockaways). Something that would compile
every mistake they made/make and send out an alert every time they do
something else.

[Eyal Saiet]

Hello Lise,
Can you give more information on number 2, request.
What are they looking for, is this under the Hudson river?
Thanks
Eyal

[liselb...@gmail.com]

Yes the Spectra pipeline will run under the Hudson. I will send you some more links later--and let me know what info you would like and I will try to connect you with what you need

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From: Eyal Saiet <ejs...@alaska.edu>

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Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:22:36 -0900

To: <publicla...@googlegroups.com>

ReplyTo: publicla...@googlegroups.com

[Lise Brenner]

Hi - here are a couple links to more info:

Spectra:
Map of proposed Spectra pipeline route:
http://inhabitat.com/nyc/the-new-york-and-new-jersey-spectra-pipeline-gets-the-green-light/spectra-energy-pipeline-map_nj-ny_full-2/

LInk to Sane Energy Project (the folks who asked for help on these
issues) http://saneenergyproject.org/

News article on Spectra pipeline route:
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2011/02/mapping_the_pipeline_where_spe.html

Rockaways:
Map: http://www.examiner.com/article/rockaway-pipeline-approved-to-cross-national-park-sandy-impacted-area

General info: http://www.littoralsociety.org/index.php/take-action/hot-issues?showall=&start=3

Coalition against Rockaway Pipeline:
http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/tag/coalition-against-the-rockaway-pipeline/

What the Williams pipeline company says:
http://co.williams.com/williams/operations/gas-pipeline/expansion-projects/transco-expansion-projects/rockaway-lateral-project/

[Eyal Saiet]

Hello Lise,
At the moment, I am overwhelmed with the planning of my methane instrument detector, it would be great, if you could contact me  in a month, and I will actually have experience in what I am doing.  Then I will be at a point to advise.
Thanks
Eyal

[liselb...@gmail.com]

Thanks Eyal--will do

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From: Eyal Saiet <ejs...@alaska.edu>

Sender: publicla...@googlegroups.com

Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2012 16:08:11 -0900

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ReplyTo: publicla...@googlegroups.com

[aleith1]

Hi Eyal

Are you planning on making one similar to the PublicLabs methane detector? Thanks again for the links. I've got to get up to speed on Arduino first... I have one but have only plugged it in once — at a local Arduino meetup. It doesn't seem too hard conceptually — just that I have many priorities preceding this project blocking me undertaking it. Any pointers that can smooth my path will be welcome!

Best
Alastair

Alastair I Leith

Useful Design
03 9480 5506
0432 889 831
30    Birch   St
West  Preston
VIC   3072 Au

[Eyal Saiet]

Hello Alastair,
Currently this is my spring semester project.  We will see where it goes from there..
Eyal

[Susie]

Hi Alastair, Eyal, Lise, Sara

I'm currently in the process of building a methane sensor. I'm based in Sydney, Australia and my interest is also in monitoring fugitive emissions from the Coal Seam Gas industry here in Australia. 

I came across this post while hunting for different methane sensors and their relative accuracy. 

Really interested to hear how you are going with yours Eyal. I'm also using the Figaro 2600 with arduino. But haven't integrated Temp and RH,.  

Cheers, 

susie

[Alastair Leith]

Friend of mine who has microprocessor (assembly) coding and electronics experience wants to help. He is advocating for GPS logging as standard so results can be logged uploaded to a shared resource website and be (somewhat) verifiable/reliable.

Best
Alastair

Alastair I Leith

Useful Design
03 9480 5506
0432 889 831
30    Birch   St
West  Preston
VIC   3072 Au

[Alastair Leith]

Pricing on the Eagle 2 single-gas and multi-gas handheld monitors.

Prohibitive for broad-scale activist distribution. Feasible as a device which was purchased by a consortium of shared users perhaps. I still think a very-low cost device has merit give the 2.3 to 3K price tag on eagle. I wonder if they would do some product sponsorship?

Best
Alastair

Alastair I Leith

Useful Design
03 9480 5506
0432 889 831
30    Birch   St
West  Preston
VIC   3072 Au

On 16/01/2013, at 1:48 PM, Susie wrote:

[Susie]

Hi Alastair

Ha, yeah, the price tag on the eagle makes it outside most activists price range. 

Great that you have a friend with those skills who is also keen to help. 

GPS logging makes total sense - could use cosm https://cosm.com/

cheers, 

susie

[Eyal Saiet]

My progress has been halted,

For my environment in Alaska at winter humidity is too low for measurements. So we are also looking at a $30,000instrument that is very very small. 

Currently the sensor is very sensitive to temperature and humidity, if the humidity is below 40% the sensor readings are in consistent. 

Thus close reading of both relative humidity and temperature are essential.

Eyal

[Eyal Saiet]

By the way, what concentration value in ppm you expect to find?

--

Eyal Saiet

[Susie]

Interesting re inconsistency if humidity is below 40% 

Methane concentration in ppm from a study of a gas field site here in oz was: 

"Inside the gas field, methane was measured at up to 6.89 parts per million, compared to an average background level outside the gas field of about two parts per million."

cheers, 

susie

[Eyal Saiet]

yeah below 40%  will be a problem. Something we need to look into if it is an issue of relative humidity or total moisture in the air. Since at hot air 20% humidity has more water compared with 40 at 10 C.

The ppm values would work fine for the sensor.

Eyal

[Mathew Lippincott]

re: GPS cost-- a group at RPI is working on a cheaper system for reading sensor data which they call "sensor caching", like geocaching only using bluetooth.  Volunteers go out and check the sensors using their smartphones, downloading timestamped data and verifying location.    

http://www.communitysensors.rpi.edu/Documentation_code

[Alastair Leith]

Good concept. Thanks for the post. 

We have been considering something like this but remote locations would be better served by GPS onboard. I need to talk to experts in CH4 detection about what is the kind of sample period that is advisable. If you want to sample every hour/day then automated remote detection and upload is desirable over manual data collection... having said that beggars cant be choosers. 

To involve a smartphone in the process, someone is going to have to write the app(s) (iOS/Android/…) to log the data take the GPS location and store it until within WiFi/3G/4G signal zone and then upload all stored data. Not trivial and most of the iOS devs I know are run off their feet making profitable apps or apps for gin/vodka companies and the like… :-\

Best
Alastair

Alastair I Leith

Useful Design
03 9480 5506
0432 889 831
30    Birch   St
West  Preston
VIC   3072 Au

[Mathew Lippincott]

Good points about remote locations.  in the RPI case they already have the alpha android app put together, so its a jumpstart on that.  Their sensor nodes are recording frequent data and just holding it until read, so they have good temporal resolution but not real time info.

telemetry and the power system to do it are costs larger than sensors, batteries, and dataloggers, which is why i like the sensor cashing, especially in urban environments where finding people and smartphones isnt that hard.