Evaluation of selectivity of commercial hydrogen sensors

The development of reliable hydrogen sensors is crucial for the safe use of hydrogen. One of the main concerns of end users is sensor reliability in the presence of species other than the target gas, which can lead to false alarms or undetected harmful situations. To assess the selectivity of commercial-off-the-shelf hydrogen sensors, a number of sensors of different technology types were exposed to various interferent gas species. Cross-sensitivity tests were performed in accordance with the recommendations of ISO 26142:2010, using the hydrogen sensor testing facilities of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Joint Research Centre – Institute for Energy and Transport. Most of the sensor platform tested are unaffected by the exposure to the interferents. The metal-oxide and the thermal conductivity platform show a remarkable sensitivity to CH4. None of the platforms tested were permanently affected by the exposure to the cross-sensitive species.