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ASDevices > About us > Our news > World’s first fuel-cell hydrogen process analysis solution now up & running
Press release

World’s first fuel-cell hydrogen process analysis solution now up & running

Thetford, Canada, September 20, 2021 – The world’s first process analysis solution for real-time hydrogen purity measurement in eco-friendly vehicles is set to be used at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, after being inaugurated at Sinopec’s Yanshan plant in the presence of the Bejing Municipal Commission of Science and Technology Expert Group and Sinopec process engineers. This breakthrough solution was developed by hi-tech Canadian ultra-trace gas analysis company ASDevices (ASD) for Sinopec, China’s leading petrochemical company. After passing a rigorous factory acceptance test (FAT) and site acceptance test (SAT), the ASD analytical system is now up and running at Sinopec’s Yanshan petrochemical plant. The ASD solution now becomes the global standard, as the first hydrogen purity process analytical system to successfully undergo intensive testing by independent institutes, and the first to be officially approved for continuous process monitoring.

ASD’s process-oriented fuel-cell hydrogen purity analysis solution – the first of its kind in the world – allows factory workers to certify hydrogen purity on site, instead of sending samples to a lab. This results in significant time and cost savings, using a process that is much less complex and labour-intensive. This unprecedented on-site solution (known as a process solution, as opposed to a lab-based solution) operates 24/7 in stand-alone mode, with no highly-skilled operator required. In addition to being much more practical and economical, the solution is also extremely robust and reliable.

The robust ASD solution is designed to be user-friendly, and it can measure permanent gases as well as trace sulfurs within one single analysis instrument, unlike competitors requiring multiple complex devices that are costly to operate. What’s more, the ASD solution is the only one on the market that requires no sample pre-concentration to achieve the required 4 ppb H2S (hydrogen sulfide) limit of detection, thanks to its unique and patented high-sensitivity (< 0.5 ppb LoD) GC enhanced plasma detector (Epd). The accuracy and detection limit have been demonstrated with ASD’s innovative and proprietary iGCS high-performance dilution system. Sinopec recently published a scientific paper highlighting the performance and inventiveness of ASDevices GC technologies.

With over three decades of GC (gas chromatography) innovation under its belt, ASD was able to design multiple new technologies to create this unique and innovative solution for fuel-cell hydrogen analysis. ASD’s team is internationally renowned for its exceptional know-how in leveraging unique plasma-discharge-based Epd (enhanced plasma detector) technology, innovative chromatographic valves and advanced signal-processing algorithms. The ASD analytical system can achieve the lowest impurity detection limit on the market, including sulfurs and carbon monoxide (CO), which, if not detected, are known to damage hydrogen fuel cells.

“ASDevices is proud to have successfully passed all rigorous testing required for its innovative process-oriented fuel-cell hydrogen purity analysis solution, developed through extensive R&D and close collaboration with Sinopec for on-site validation. Our solution is of utmost importance for us to support energy development in all countries looking for greener solutions,” explains André Lamontagne, President, ASDevices.

“The global trend is to make hydrogen (H2) fuel-cell vehicles a reality very soon. ASD has been investing in R&D in that field for over 3 years to be market-ready. Beijing aims to have 10,000 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles on the road by 2025, and other countries are following suit – and we’ll be there when it happens. Following the inauguration of this innovative solution, other major hydrogen producers have confirmed the purchase of such systems or are in discussion with us,” comments Frank Zhu, Vice President Asia, ASDevices.

“This Sinopec project represents the fruition of 3 years of R&D, and great recognition for our team and partners. It demonstrates our know-how based on over 30 years of continuous technological improvements. ASD’s breakthrough solution is what hydrogen manufacturers have been waiting for – and we’re proud to be ahead of the market in its development. This project opens many opportunities for us. We have recently sold systems in Europe, and we are in discussions with companies in North America. We have developed many technologies that have set new standards in gas analysis – and our hydrogen analysis solution definitively fits that category,” adds Yves Gamache, ASDevices CEO/CTO.

ASDevices is dedicated to helping companies and the world reduce their carbon footprint. In addition to its H2 solutions, ASD is helping industrial gas producers reduce their energy consumption. Our ultra-fast crude argon solution – which no other company in the world offers – is now helping producers improve argon manufacturing and save energy.

About ASDevices

ASDevices is an international company that specializes in gas analysis technologies and devices for process and laboratory gases. ASDevices technologies and solutions help organizations overcome their analytical challenges by offering robust, high-quality analytical solutions. The company’s founders and partners have accumulated over 30 years of GC innovation and over 160 patents worldwide. ASDevices owns all the technologies it develops, and is the only company in the world to own all key process gas chromatography technologies related to the challenging measurement of fuel-cell grade hydrogen, especially trace sulfur analysis.

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