Attendees also benefitted from the insights provided by Prof Norman Ratcliffe (University of the West of England) who gave a highly entertaining plenary talk entitled ‘The Smell of Disease’, drawing on his long career in the field of gas detection for medical diagnosis.
Thanks also go to our generous hosts, Crowcon Detection Instruments, who provided tours of their facilities for delegates. These were of particular value to the young researchers present, many of whom were unfamiliar with the operation of a commercial gas detection business.
The day was generally agreed to have been one of the most vibrant and informative of recent GASG events and continued the strong reputation the group has established for providing an informative and engaging environment for the exchange of ideas in the field.
Jane focussed on the significant and highly relevant activities in gas, VOC and particulate sensing which GASG promotes through our meetings and publications. It was emphasised that mainstream gas sensing has long supported the petrochemical sector, having grown with the rise of fossil fuel extraction and use. The sensing industry is now an important driver, monitor and enabler of the path to net zero. The need to dramatically reduce emissions is widely accepted, but some leakage is inevitable and the various risks associated with a wide range of gases must still be mitigated. This is driving significant increases in sensor deployment (and lowering of costs), improvements in limits of detection and growth in emissions measurement applications across all sectors, not just oil & gas. Even in a fully electrified world, there will still be many applications for gas and particle sensors!
