Measuring Uncommon and Mixed Gases in Industry

In industrial environments, a wide variety of chemicals and processing steps are used during production. In certain production stages, gases can be released that are harmful to health or the environment. It is therefore important to continuously monitor the air quality in your production environment for any exceedance of permitted concentrations. Monitoring the gas concentration of a single component can often be addressed by installing stationary detectors or using portable gas detectors.

Cross-Sensitivity

However, if multiple gases are released during the production process, there is a risk of sensor cross-sensitivity. A cross-sensitive sensor does not only respond to the molecule it was designed for but also to other molecules. This may result in an incorrect high or low signal from the sensor, potentially leading to hazardous situations in the workplace.

Suitable Detectors

If your production process uses or produces less common chemicals, it can often be difficult to find a suitable detector. In a previous article, we discussed Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). One of the applications of this technique is the simultaneous detection of multiple gas concentrations. The FTIR is configured with various “fingerprints” of all present components. The signal detected by the FTIR sensor is decomposed into its components using a Fourier analysis, and the software calculates the concentration of the various components.

Continuous Monitoring

Due to its virtually unlimited versatility, an FTIR is extremely well-suited for continuous monitoring of nearly any type of gas. By linking the FTIR to an automatic sampling system, you can sequentially monitor up to 32 positions for 50 different gases simultaneously. Using such a system reduces maintenance to a single unit, resulting in significant cost savings. If your production process is changed and new gases are released, the FTIR library can be updated, eliminating the need to purchase new sensors.