Gas monitoring is very
essential when matters of keeping the environment clean and healthy are
concerned. Most industries use gas measurement instruments to ensure that they do
not release certain harmful gases into the atmosphere. These instruments are
also installed in various offices and commercial premises to ensure that the staffs
work under perfect conditions. In other cases, they are used to detect various
gases such as CH4 for purposes of collection and storage for future use. These
are just part of the numerous applications of gas measuring instruments in day-to-day
lives. It is quite important to learn a few things about the operation
principle behind most of these instruments.
Gas measurement instruments can be categorized into two major groups. Some are used for
specific applications while others are used to measure a variety of gases at
the same time. For purposes of versatility, most people prefer using the
universal types that can measure concentrations of different gases and give
accurate results. The instruments can also be categorized according to their
mode of operation. The most common types use infrared light and laser light for
detection. A few others user magnetism especially to detect oxygen gas
concentration.
All the mentioned gas
measurement instruments have a similar mode of operation. The infrared and
laser type in fact use the same principle for operation. They have a source,
transmission optics, receivers and a microprocessor. The source is used to
produce a laser beam or infrared light of specific intensity. The transmitting
optics filter the light produced and direct it to the area under study.
Receivers on the other end have optics for detecting the changes in intensity
of the beam. These changes are sent as a signal to the microprocessor where
they are converted to useful information. The data processed by the
microprocessor is sent to the display unit.
There are a couple of
other features that make it possible for gas measurement instruments to measure
different gases at the same time. Spectroscopy is used to separate the light
into different wavelengths. Different gases absorb energy in different spectral
regions with different wavelengths. The detectors employ this principle to
detect energy changes in each spectral region. By the end of the process, a
conclusive report is displayed on the display unit showing concentration of
different gases in the sample. This information is used by the relevant personnel
to check whether the sample is harmful when released to the environment.
Therefore, the environment is kept conducive for humans and other animals at
all times.
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