Project description
Photonics-based sensors for enhanced oil industry processes
Industrial processes need to be efficient. Having set its sights on optimising the processes of the oil industry, the EU-funded Hydroptics project intends to develop a set of integrated sensors that employ advanced photonics subsystems. Cutting-edge photonics will be used to perform measurements of oil-in-water concentration, ultra-sensitive sensing of corrosion inhibitors in water, and measurements of oil droplets and suspended solids in water. The device will be tested in real industrial settings, for both oil extraction and oil refining processes. The project has the potential to enhance both upstream and downstream industrial processes in the oil industry.
Objective
HYDROPTICS will develop a set of integrated sensors, making use of advanced photonics subsystems, aimed at optimising the processes of the oil industry. The device will be validated in real industrial settings, for oil extraction and oil refining processes. The HYDROPTICS platform will perform: 1) oil in water measurements, 2) corrosion inhibitor concentration measurements, 3) oil droplets and suspended solids in water measurements, 4) industrial process optimisation, based on simulation of processes through digital twins, as well as data assimilation from the readings coming from the sensors. HYDROPTICS makes use of cutting edge photonics in order to perform the above tasks: a) Quantum Cascade Laser Frequency Combs spectroscopy, for ultra fast and sensing of oil in water concentration. b) Quantum Cascade Laser ATR spectroscopy, using MCM surface ATR crystals, for ultra-sensitive sensing of corrosion inhibitors in water. c) High resolution spectral and spatial resolution hyperspectral imaging, for particle classification in aqueous suspensions. The final HYDROPTICS platform will be tested in both upstream (oil extraction) and downstream (oil processing) industrial processes, in order to validate the sensors, and fine-tune the algorithms that regard process optimisation of said industrial processes.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
2072 Saint-Blaise
Switzerland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.