$30M DOE Program Seeks Photonic Methane Monitoring Solutions

Ten organizations will develop photonic gas monitoring systems under a $30 million program coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E).

The Methane Observation Networks with Innovative Technology to Obtain Reductions (MONITOR) program focuses on low-cost solutions for detecting methane emissions associated with the production and transportation of oil and natural gas.

Organization names, project descriptions and funding amounts are as follows:

• IBM of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., will create optical sensors that use on-chip tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy enabled by shortwave-infrared silicon photonics technology. $4.5 million.

• Rebellion Photonics of Houston will design a portable, miniature longwave-infrared imaging spectrometer. $4.3 million.

• PARC of Palo Alto, Calif., will create printed sensor arrays with modified carbon nanotube sensors. $3.4 million.

• Physical Sciences Inc. of Andover, Mass., will create a drone-based mid-infrared laser using an IR backscatter technique. $2.9 million.

• LI-Cor of Lincoln, Neb., will develop a fixed-cavity-mode spectrometer. $2.7 million.

• Aeris Technologies of Redwood City, Calif., will build a miniaturized, tunable MIR laser spectrometer. $2.4 million.

• The University of Colorado Boulder will develop a spectroscopic comb system for long-distance methane detection. $2.1 million.

• Maxion Technologies Inc. of Jessup, Md., will create a tunable MIR laser to detect and quantify methane emissions. $1.9 million.

• Bridger Photonics Inc. of Bozeman, Mont., will develop an IR fiber laser that will generate 3-D topographical information to locate leaks. $1.5 million.

• GE of Niskayuna, N.Y., will develop microstructured optical fiber that will be part of an IR spectroscopic system. $1.4 million.

For more information, visit www.arpa-e.energy.gov.