Single Photon Range Imaging for Natural Gas Sensing SPRINGS

Gas sensing is a growing market, with Oil & Gas leak detection alone expected to grow to $3.4Bn in 2022. Natural gas leaks cost companies $30Bn per year, the ability to detect these leaks is limited by the characteristics of existing technologies. The SPRINGS project sets out to develop a quantum-inspired laser radar (LIDAR) capable of detecting the lowest concentration of natural gas leaks required by the industry out to a 200 metres operational distance. This brings a 10-fold sensitivity improvement over our closest competitor and enables fast scanning and imaging. It is lightweight and low-power and unlocks new applications for Oil & Gas and waste management industries, and it delivers an unprecedented 30 miles per hour surveying speed. To ensure long-term leadership, we will also develop a quantum-enhanced prototype, taking us to mid-IR wavelengths, for a further 10-fold performance gain. This opens up the possibility for other gas species and unlocks applications such as Oil & Gas exploration and remote detection of explosives.