SKT Conducts First On-Site Demonstration of 'Quantum Sensing' Industry... Expanding Quantum Industry Scope

Dongman Kim, CEO of Quantum Sensing (from the left), Minyong Ha, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of SK Telecom, and Bongjin Kim, CEO of Boryeong LNG Terminal, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement to install and apply a quantum gas sensing system to the LNG storage tanks located in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] SK Telecom will conduct the first domestic field demonstration of a quantum-based gas sensing system that can detect gas leaks from large gas facilities in real time at the Boryeong LNG Terminal.

On the 20th, SK Telecom announced that it signed a business agreement to install and apply the quantum gas sensing system at the LNG storage tanks located at the Boryeong LNG Terminal and Quantum Sensing in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do.

'Quantum sensing' is a technology that detects quantum particles of extremely small size and converts them into electrical signals. It can be widely used in advanced fields such as gas sensing and autonomous driving to measure subtle light. This first domestic demonstration project of the quantum gas sensing system is significant as it expands the quantum industry into a new field called quantum sensing, following quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum random number generation (QRNG), which have utilized quantum properties for communication security. Quantum key distribution technology creates encryption keys that fundamentally block third-party information theft by using quantum properties and distributes them to the sender and receiver. Quantum random number generation technology uses the properties of quantum mechanics to produce pure random numbers that are unpredictable and patternless.

Until now, gas facility control for large gas facilities has used either the 'chemical reaction gas detection method' or the 'infrared (IR)-based gas leak detection method.' The existing methods have drawbacks such as reduced detection capability due to wind effects when installed outside buildings, short detection distances, and difficulty in measuring gas concentration.

In contrast, quantum gas sensing measures the number of light particles in the reflected wave after firing a laser at the leaking gas to determine various information such as gas concentration and volume. Additionally, laser scanning allows the detection of the gas leak shape, enabling real-time monitoring from the leak point to the diffusion direction.

IDQ, a subsidiary of SK Square, will supply the single photon detector (SPD) 'ID Qube,' a core component corresponding to the laser receiver part of the quantum gas sensor, for this demonstration project. The 'ID Qube' is a key component of the quantum gas sensor with ultra-high sensitivity capable of detecting even small amounts of light.

SK Telecom will oversee the overall quantum gas sensing demonstration project, supply core components, and lead equipment localization through collaboration with Quantum Sensing.

SK Telecom plans to determine the optimal conditions for installing the quantum gas sensing system through on-site and environmental inspections in the fourth quarter of this year and will begin installing and applying the system to the Boryeong LNG Terminal storage tanks next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.