The early detection of coal fires in coal handling systems on coal fired power stations is essential to prevent catastrophic damage to expensive plant and serious injury to personnel. The most reliable and accurate method of detecting coal fires or smouldering is to monitor the carbon monoxide levels within the coal handling plant areas such as silos and mills and to detect rapid increases in concentration. The CODELEnergyTech 201 samples the gas from the critical area through a steel sintered filter mounted in the wall of the chamber. This removes the need for intrusive sampling probes which are prone to wear and are expensive to replace.