Raman Lidar and the search for natural hydrogen
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Raman Lidar and the search for natural hydrogen
Tue, 07/05/2024 - 14:00
Location:
Speaker:
Professor Charlie Ironside
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia
Synopsis:
Natural hydrogen refers to hydrogen that emerges from the earth. World-wide natural hydrogen gas seeps have been reported, and there is significant commercial interest in exploiting these seeps as carbon-free sources of energy. This carbon-free energy resource was largely overlooked because of a lack of routine use of hydrogen detectors in the exploration for energy resources. The hydrogen molecule does not have a built-in electric dipole and, therefore, only a very weak infrared absorption - so optical, stand-off detection of hydrogen so far has relied on the Raman effect. A Raman Lidar system has already been investigated by the nuclear industry for monitoring hydrogen leaks from nuclear waste. In this talk, we will explore how Raman Lidar can be adapted as an airborne instrument that can be used to rapidly survey large areas for natural hydrogen seeps and also be used in the burgeoning hydrogen economy to detect fugitive emissions of hydrogen.
Biography:
Prof Charlie Ironside of Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, has an extensive track record in semiconductor optoelectronics and nanofabrication of optical components, including semiconductor lasers, quantum tunnelling devices, nonlinear optical waveguide devices, optical gas sensing and gratings for magneto-optic traps. He has awards for transferring knowledge from the university to industry and commercialising his research. He worked in the optoelectronics group at the University of Glasgow which was involved in establishing several high-tech start-ups in the Glasgow area. He works in the Physics and Astronomy department of Curtin University and is now working with the industry to use airborne optical instruments to explore for natural resources in Western Australia and worldwide.