Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)

Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) will work with BP and NASA’s Ames Research Center to combine Xerox’s low-cost print manufacturing and NASA’s gas-sensing technologies to develop printable sensing arrays that will be integrated into a cost-effective, highly sensitive methane detection system. The system will be based on sensor array foils containing multiple printed carbon nanotube (CNT) sensors and supporting electronics. Each sensor element will be modified with dopants, coatings, or nanoparticles such that it responds differently to different gases. Through principal component analysis and machine learning techniques, the system will be trained for high sensitivity and selectivity for components of natural gas and interfering compounds. The goal is to be able to detect methane emissions with a sensitivity of 1 ppm and localize the source of emissions to within 1 meter, offering enhanced precision when compared to current equipment. By using low-cost printing techniques, the project team’s system could offer an affordable alternative to more expensive optical methane detectors on the market today.

If successful, PARC’s innovation could dramatically decrease the costs of methane monitoring while strengthening the accuracy of methane emission detection.