Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Sensor (CAAQMS) or Air Pollution Detection

31 August

Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Sensor (CAAQMS) or Air Pollution Detection

By ALVI  

Why monitor only carbon dioxide (CO2), when CO2 and VOCs are main component of air quality??

Gas Alarm Systems India(http://www.alviautomation.com) in association with Gas Alarm Systems Australia (http://www.gasalarm.co.au) offer Continuous Ambient Air quality Monitoring Sensor (CAAQMS, CO2 +VOC+SO2+NO2+CO+NH3+ Atmospheric Temprature+ Humidity) sensor transmitter / detector from MSR Electronic, Germany with following features:

  • Measuring range: 0-2000ppm , 0-4000ppm
  • Technology: Bio-semiconductor
  • Output: 4-20mA, 0-10V, RS485 modbus, Lon, BacNET
  • Enclosure: IP44, IP54, IP65
  • Certificate: UL 61010, UL 2075, ATEX EExd, ATEX EExn, CE
  • Mounting: wall mountable, duct mountable
  • Installation area: safe area, hazardous area, explosion-proof

Application areas:

Building ventilation, green building, airconditioning, paint, VOC free paint, rooms, auditorium, theatre, hospitals, office, multiplex, pubs, conference room, hotels, banquet room, datacentre, malls, parliament, schools, college, BPOs, call centre, aircraft cabin, car cabin etc

Features:

  • Reverse polarity protected
  • Poisoning protected
  • Capable of mounting in any direction, with no effect on performance, output and life of these sensors (no orientation problems)
  • Modular architecture
  • Manual calibration
  • Expected life > 15 years
  • Low response time
  • Sleep protection
  • Microprocessor based value processing with temperature, moisture, dust, vibration compensation
  • High amplitude, low frequency and low amplitude, high frequency compensation
  • with industrial designed hydrophobic filter
  • Capable for field calibration with zero and span/gain trimpots and have low calibration and maintenance cost
  • Have IMMUNITY TO RF/FM INTERFERENCE as per the guidelines of EMC- Directive 2004/ 108/ EEC

With regard to ventilation requirement for human comfort / green building, it is not just CO2 that hamper air quality, but thousands of volatile organic compound emitted by heating of cables/ wire, perfume, aerosols, varnish, wood laquer, desktop, breathing of cloths, carpets, curtains, stationery etc. VOCs are not only carcinogen but also hamper air quality. Hence, it is not the ventilation should be designed based on CO2 concentration but also on VOCs concentration. Eg. A freshly painted room with no human occupancy would have standard air CO2 concentration (around 400-600ppm), but would have very high VOCs level, thus makes bad air quality and low human comfort. Installing a typical CO2 sensor (With NDIR technology sensor cell) would not trigger ventilation, and thus make building sick. MSR Germany offer air quality sensor based on bio-semiconductor technology which not only detect and measure CO2 but also VOCs. Hence, this sensor transmitter is more effective to cater ventilation needs.

Eg. A freshly painted room will have no CO2 ( or minimum CO2 concentration) but have very high level of VOC (volatile organic compound) concentration. Hence, if we install only CO2 sensor, it will say “ Ventilation not required due to low CO2” and hence will not trigger the ventilation. And hence, will hamper human comfort. While if we install, IAQ (MSR indoor air quality sensor which will monitor both CO2 and VOC) will trigger ventilation on the basis of high VOC.
Avoid Sick building syndrome.