Great shakes

A battery-free wireless sensor system that relies on power from a vibration energy-harvesting micro-generator and a supercapacitor is undergoing trials to monitor operations at a Norwegian gas plant.

The micro-generator, a collaboration between the UK's

and

in the US, is being used at the Nyhamna gas plant.

The sensors are monitoring the condition of rotating equipment, which is the main culprit in production shutdowns. They are reporting back temperature and overall vibration every five minutes.

Plants and refineries monitor pumps, machines and processes to ensure optimum safety and efficiency. Condition monitoring traditionally involves maintenance engineers collecting data, or using battery-powered wireless sensors.

Yet batteries may survive only up to five years in harsh environments, so in plants with thousands of battery-powered wireless sensor nodes, replacing and disposing of batteries can be expensive.

'The micro-generator and super- capacitor combination eliminates battery reliability issues and time-consuming maintenance, while enabling significant savings in operational costs and energy use,' said Stephen Roberts, Perpetuum's technical manager.