Applications and Advantages of Infrared Gas Sensors

        Compared with other types of gas sensors, infrared gas sensors have advantages that other types of gas sensors do not have. These advantages include good selectivity, long lifespan, independence from oxygen, low susceptibility to environmental interference, high precision, and so on.

       In practical applications, infrared gas sensors have higher practicality. Its application field is very extensive. Whether it is in petrochemical industry, atmospheric monitoring, medical and health, or agricultural development, it has made significant contributions. Today, we will share with you the specific applications of infrared gas sensors in different fields.

Environmental Protection:

        Infrared gas sensors are mainly used to detect the concentration of carbon dioxide gas in the air during the monitoring of air quality in the atmosphere. Due to the greenhouse effect, carbon dioxide can absorb infrared rays, and this absorption can be used to measure the concentration of carbon dioxide gas per unit volume.

          The detection principle of infrared carbon dioxide sensors is based on the absorption of specific wavelengths of CO2 gas in a particular band of infrared radiation, which weakens the energy of radiation transmitted through the measurement chamber, and the degree of attenuation depends on the CO2 gas content in the measured gas.The use of infrared CO2 sensors is everywhere in our daily living environment, such as kindergartens, schools, office buildings, shopping malls, supermarkets, stations, hospitals, and other public places.

Industry:

    In the industrial production process, there are various flammable and explosive gases and toxic gases. These harmful gases not only pose a threat to the atmospheric environment, but also threaten the health of workers.

   Based on the advantages of infrared sensors, infrared methane gas sensors have played a very important role in industrial operations such as petroleum, chemical, power plants, metallurgical coking, etc. In industrial environments that require explosion-proof requirements, gas detection, carbon dioxide detection, etc., infrared gas sensors are needed to help.

Agriculture:

        Whether it is plant or animal growth, they cannot do without air. Agriculture and animal husbandry are particularly concerned about the concentration of carbon dioxide gas, which can be detected using infrared CO2 sensors.

         In terms of agricultural planting, carbon dioxide and water are the basic elements for the growth of green plants. Under lighting conditions, they undergo photosynthesis through plant chloroplasts, synthesize carbohydrates, and release oxygen. It can be seen that the role and importance of carbon dioxide and water in the growth process of plants are irreplaceable.

1.Moisture-resistant, Wide range of high and low temperatures

          Infrared sensors are physical sensors that detect gases present in the air using non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) principles. Since different types of gases absorb specific wavelengths of infrared light, gas concentration detection can be performed based on this principle, and it is not easily interfered with by the environment like chemical sensors.
The operating temperature of infrared sensors can reach -20 to 60°C, and the high and low temperature range is wide. The working humidity can reach 0-95%RH without being affected by the environment humidity, and it can be used in most environments.

2.Good selectivity, non-toxic

        Selectivity, also known as cross-sensitivity, in the infrared spectrum, the corresponding gas can absorb infrared radiation at specific frequencies. The sensing principle utilizes this characteristic to perform gas analysis, so selectivity is good. Sensor poisoning refers to a decline in sensor performance. The main reason is that some chemicals contact the sensor and inhibit the activity of the sensitive component, resulting in partial or complete loss of sensitivity of the sensor. Sensor poisoning usually occurs in chemical sensors, but infrared sensors are less prone to poisoning due to their physical properties.

3.Wide measurement range, wide detection range

        Different infrared CO2, methane and other gas sensors have different measurement ranges, ranging from 0-2000ppm to 0-5% vol (50,000ppm), and products suitable for actual use environment can be selected, which provides a lot of options.

4.Simple application

       The simplest method of using the sensor is to connect the sensor to a computer via a serial port to USB cable and download the serial port debugging assistant to complete the gas concentration test in the current environment.

5.Long lifespan

The lifespan of infrared sensors is generally over 5 years, and the cost per day is relatively low.