On February 26, 2025, a flash explosion suddenly occurred during the operation of pressure 堵漏 on the hydrogen pipeline of a certain gas company in Zibo, Shandong Province, resulting in a tragic accident that claimed 2 lives and injured 1 person. This tragedy once again rings the alarm bell for the safety monitoring of industrial gases. How to achieve advanced early warning and accurate positioning of hydrogen leakage under complex working conditions has become a survival proposition that cannot be ignored in the hydrogen energy industry chain.

The danger of hydrogen cannot be underestimated. It is the lightest gas in nature, with a molecular weight of only 2. This characteristic makes hydrogen extremely prone to leakage. Hydrogen is not only highly likely to leak, but it is also highly flammable and explosive. When the concentration of hydrogen in the air is within the range of 4% to 75%, an explosion will occur instantly as long as it encounters a suitable ignition source. What's more troublesome is that the flame generated when hydrogen burns is pale blue and is almost undetectable in sunlight, which undoubtedly further increases its potential risks. Once a hydrogen leakage and explosion accident occurs, the consequences will be unimaginable. It will not only lead to serious casualties, but also cause huge property losses, and the surrounding infrastructure will also be severely damaged.

The Monitoring Dilemma Behind the Accident:

The Zibo accident this time has exposed three major shortcomings of traditional detection methods:

Passive response delay: Manual inspections or contact sensors find it difficult to capture the diffusion trajectory of hydrogen in an open space in a timely manner.

Complex environment failure: Electromagnetic interference and vibration shock in pressure plugging operations are likely to cause false positives and false negatives in detection equipment.

Difficulty in tracing the source of leakage: Due to the low density and rapid diffusion of hydrogen, it is difficult for traditional methods to lock the leakage source before the explosive limit range (4% - 75%).

Fixed Reflective Laser Gas Telemetry Instrument

Among the numerous technical means for preventing and monitoring gas leakage, the fixed reflective laser gas telemetry instrument of Hanhai Optoelectronics can be regarded as a capable "guardian" for ensuring gas safety.

Ultra-long monitoring range, achieving all-round coverage: The detection distance of this telemetry instrument can reach up to 1 kilometer at the farthest. It is capable of conducting round-the-clock and blind-spot-free monitoring of key locations such as the device area, storage area, and pipeline area. Whether the site is open or the layout of industrial facilities is complex, it can easily achieve large-area monitoring. It's just like building an invisible but sturdy "safety protection net" across the entire area, constantly safeguarding every corner and making it impossible for gas leakage to escape detection.

Ultra-high sensitivity, precisely capturing leakage signals: Its sensitivity is as high as 1ppm.m, enabling it to accurately identify extremely small amounts of gas leakage. Even the slightest micro-leakage cannot escape its "piercing eyes". In complex and changeable industrial environments, traditional sensors are often affected by various interferences, resulting in frequent false alarms and missed alarms. However, relying on the advanced Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) technology, the fixed reflective laser gas telemetry instrument of Hanhai Optoelectronics fundamentally eliminates these problems, providing accurate and reliable gas leakage information for the staff so that they can take effective measures in a timely manner.

Strong anti-interference ability and maintenance-free design for greater peace of mind: This telemetry instrument has extremely strong anti-interference ability, making it particularly suitable for complex industrial production environments. In addition, it adopts a calibration-free and maintenance-free design, which greatly reduces the operation and maintenance costs of enterprises. Enterprises do not need to invest a large amount of manpower and material resources in frequent equipment maintenance and calibration. This not only saves costs but also ensures that the equipment is always in the best operating condition.

Intelligent linkage function, real - time warning and rapid response: This telemetry instrument can quickly and accurately locate the leakage point in real - time. Once it detects a gas leak, it can trigger an alarm within 1 second, enabling the staff to be aware of the dangerous situation immediately. Meanwhile, it supports linkage with fire - fighting systems and other equipment. The moment the alarm signal is sent out, the relevant fire - fighting equipment can be quickly activated, and corresponding measures can be taken promptly to minimize the accident risk.

Installing Hanhai Optoelectronics' fixed reflective laser gas telemetry instruments at every stage of production, storage, transportation, and usage in chemical enterprises can enable real - time and accurate monitoring of gas concentrations, promptly detect potential leakage hazards, and provide strong and solid support for safe production. For enterprises, this is not only a high - level commitment to the safety of employees' lives but also a crucial measure to ensure stable production and avoid significant economic losses.