Gas Sensor-Portable & Fixed gas sensor- gas sensor module

Background:
 

Both stationary and portable gas detectors play a vital role in protecting the safety of crews and Marine ecosystems. Reliable and robust gas detection methods are essential for effective protection of life at sea – dangerous gases are a common hazard on board ships and present unique challenges for storage and transport at sea. Knowing how your gas detector works helps streamline the decision-making process, which in turn helps you streamline the decision-making process when choosing equipment and technology to ensure the safety of your crew.

Gases pose special and higher risks because of the way they exist. In most cases, only very low concentrations of gases are required to cause significant health hazards or possible combustion or explosion, especially in the confined Spaces of most seagoing vessels. Most gases are invisible — and many more are colorless and odorless. These properties mean that gases carry unique risks that cannot be reduced without the use of expertise – but it is only in the last few years that we have been able to use more sophisticated automated detection methods that calibrate at the touch of a button and provide 360, 24/7 protection against gas leaks.

Gas detection technology has come an incredibly long way since it was first developed in the late 19th century. Before the advent of automated electronic methods, people dealing with potentially dangerous gases relied on a variety of primitive methods to protect themselves from the physical and environmental dangers of gases, including canaries used by miners to indicate the build-up of potentially toxic gases underground. Of course, modern gas detection methods have come a long way since then, incorporating multiple techniques that can accurately and effectively identify dangerous gas levels and save lives

How does a gas detector work?
 

To answer this question effectively, you first need to know what type of gas detector you are using. Different gas detectors have other operating systems that vary according to the type of gas they are designed to detect. Gas detectors generally fall into three broad categories, which work in slightly different ways:

Electrochemistry: High sensitivity electrochemical gas detector can measure carbon monoxide and other toxic gases. They operate through an inductive electrode in the air, sending an electric current to sound an alarm.

Catalytic beads: Using a coil that has been treated with platinum, this type of gas detector most often identifies combustible gases in the air because the coil oxidizes on contact with the gas, which triggers an alarm. Catalytic gas detectors are very common, especially in the home environment.

Infrared: Advanced infrared technology uses transmitters and receivers to accurately measure gas concentrations in the air. Infrared gas detectors, most commonly used for hydrocarbons and combustible gases, use light transmission to determine the type and concentration of gas present and to alert when high concentrations are present.

All gas detectors have one feature in common. Once they detect a critical level of gas, they use a loud audible alarm, sometimes accompanied by a visual cue such as a flash.