Currently, quite often an excess of the maximum permissible concentration of carbon monoxide is recorded, leading to serious poisoning. The reasons are a large number of heating systems, the use of solid fuel boilers, other devices. To measure the MPC of carbon monoxide in the air of the working area, it is advisable to install special equipment.
That is why special devices have been created to determine the level of hazardous gas in the premises.
Negative influence
CO is a gas that is the product of the incomplete combustion of various organic compounds. It is excreted in minimal amounts and during cooking.
Exceeding the MPC of carbon monoxide causes severe damage to organs and systems of the body. In some cases, even death is possible. Many people die due to the fact that they cannot feel the threat before the appearance of visible symptoms of poisoning.
Since this gas is odorless, color, it can be detected only with the help of special devices. It has a toxic effect upon inhalation of the body. After entering the lungs of a person, the gas is mixed with hemoglobin of the blood, and carboxyhemoglobin is obtained. Such a substance does not pass oxygen to the cells, hypoxia of the tissues of the human body occurs. The functioning of internal organs, in particular the brain and nervous system, is disrupted.
The degree of poisoning depends on the amount of carbon monoxide in the room. When the CO indicator is at the level of 0.08%, at first there is a slight malaise and drowsiness. Then a headache occurs, dizziness appears, then a cough begins.
In the most difficult cases, a lesion of the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx appears, the work of the heart is disrupted, the skin turns pale. With an increase in CO level to 0.32% due to oxygen starvation, a person loses consciousness, paralysis and coma appear, and death occurs within 30 minutes. With an increase in gas level to 1.2%, death occurs after three minutes. Exceeding the maximum permissible concentration of carbon monoxide is possible with faulty ventilation, problems with chimney ducts.
The level of CO also increases with the failure of boilers, gas appliances. Gas and its combustion products cannot be detected without a special device. To save the injured person, it is important to immediately take him to fresh air.
Giving help
It is necessary to ventilate the lungs with an oxygen mask. Among the reasons leading to an excess of the maximum permissible concentration of carbon monoxide, one can name an improperly arranged smoke removal system. When operating heating elements in the private sector, it is important to comply with safety regulations.
First aid for carbon monoxide poisoning involves ventilating the room. The victim's whiskey should be wiped with vinegar, give him a solution of drinking soda. If a person is in an unconscious state, bring cotton wool with ammonia. If the victim of inhalation of CO does not recover, then he needs to do an indirect heart massage.
Instrument Features
To detect the presence of hazardous gas in the air, a special CO sensor is used. This small device without errors can detect the amount of carbon monoxide in the analyzed room. Use it in different places:
Remedies
In order to prevent possible leakage, you can install a carbon monoxide detector with an alarm. In the case of an increase in the level of toxic fumes, the device will report the air condition in the room. The detector will be able to recognize not only carbon monoxide, but will also warn of a household leak.
The CO sensor can be mounted on a vertical surface. Indication systematically signals the state of this device, as well as the level of toxic gaseous substances in the room air. The device has an instant reaction to a change in the chemical composition of air. Manufacturers do not recommend installing sensors near open flames.
If the room has several heating units at once, it is important to organize a system of the same number of detectors. A large number of manufacturers annually provides consumers with various devices designed to determine the toxic substance.
Action Features
The carbon monoxide detector is battery operated. An individual feature of the device is the identification of smoke. Professionals advise installing such a device separately from the fire safety system.
The carbon monoxide detector emits a sound signal if the permissible value is exceeded. Before starting operation, you need to familiarize yourself with the instructions, test a new device, avoiding emergency situations for ordinary people.
Types of instrument
Currently, manufacturers offer portable devices that have become a mandatory attribute of fire safety in the Russian Federation. Any of them has a special carbon monoxide detector with an alarm that emits jerky signals once a minute. It is important to change the battery in a timely manner. After all, the health and life of people directly depends on the health of the device. Professionals recommend changing them 1-2 times a year.
Useful Tips
If the detector constantly makes sounds - this is a signal of an increased content of toxins in the air. In such situations, you must immediately contact the emergency service. Having discovered the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, it is important to immediately open the windows in the room, get out of it, wait for rescuers on the street. Professionals will evaluate the percentage of oxygen, identify problem areas. If the signal turned out to be false, and the formation of carbon monoxide is in compliance with the standards, the detector must be replaced.
Some household carbon monoxide detectors can also detect volatile substances that are not harmful to humans. For example, it can be any liquids containing alcohol. To prevent the sensor from tripping, it is advisable to carefully ventilate the room. With increased concentration of alcohol vapor, the system gives a false alarm. In this case, you need to move the device away from the place of creation of culinary masterpieces.
Air Analyzer Options
There are three types of devices:
Semiconductor-type devices operate on the basis of chemical processes that occur between atoms. The main active substance is the dioxides: tin, carbon, ruthenium.
Semiconductor systems are connected to an electrical supply system. They are mainly intended for use in vehicles. Toxins are determined with increasing conductivity of the affected air, which occurs due to the contact of the components of the used detector. Then a mechanism is triggered that signals an excess of the concentration of poison gas in the air. An interaction occurs between the atoms of ruthenium dioxide or tin dioxide. For diffusion to take place, the chemical elements must be heated to 250 degrees Celsius.
Work from a chemical point of view
Since the conductivity of clean air based on these oxides is minimal, the device is active only with significant quantities of carbon monoxide in the room air. Heating leads to a redox reaction in which CO acts as a reducing agent, the result is an increase in the conductivity of the detector capsule, shorting of the sensor contacts, and an alarm.
Such a device allows you to control the MPC of carbon monoxide in a car service, a living room, in production shops. The voltage is determined by the amount of carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) in the air. If its permissible level is exceeded, an increase in voltage occurs, as a result of which the semiconductor detector is triggered.
False alarms are only possible in situations where the device is near a fire or open flame. That is why professionals advise installing such devices at a certain distance from the heating panel.
A solid base is provided in the design of the semiconductor sensor. It is made of a polymeric material that belongs to the class of saturated polyesters. The case is made of stainless steel.
The front part serves as an inlet into which air contaminated with toxins enters. In order to avoid the ingress of other combustion substances, there is a special charcoal layer in the detector body, which is an absorbent. A double layer of stainless mesh allows you to protect the device from a variety of external contaminants, for example, from dust.
Under the carbon filter layer is a sensitive element. Voltage is applied only to the metal terminals located on the other side of the capsule. Semiconductor devices have 3 contacts designed to connect an electric current. In such devices, there are 2 electrical circuits: for the element of metal oxide, for the heater itself.
Such a sensor has a high degree of wear resistance and is distinguished by a long operational period. The small size contributes to the minimum waste of electricity for its maintenance, which is why semiconductor sensors are considered the most effective devices for detecting the concentration of carbon monoxide in production shops and premises for domestic use.
Infrared instrument options
In such devices, air is used as an analyzer, which is then checked for the presence of carbon monoxide in it by infrared radiation. The main criterion that determines the level of CO is the wave spectrum of the IR element, which absorbs carbon monoxide toxin molecules. Since the sensitivity of light to external influences is high, sensors can identify a variety of pollutants, including methane.
When setting up the IR sensor, a reference indicator is used. For example, MPC standards for carbon monoxide for boiler rooms are regulated by GOST 12.2.007.0-75. Upon reaching a CO concentration of about 20 ± 5 mg / m 3, an audible intermittent signal is triggered. If the quantitative indicator of CO reaches the range of 100 ± 25 mg / m 3 , then in this case, sound and light signals are turned on.
All gas analyzers used in production shops must have a certificate of conformity with GOST. The owner must also have permission to use them in these premises from the Gosgortekhnadzor of the Russian Federation. In automated boiler rooms, sensors should be installed at the entrance to the room. On an area of 200 m 2, it is planned to install 1 sensor in addition to the CO monitoring device. An annual check of the device’s performance is carried out in special centers of standardization and metrology.
An incandescent filament or LED acts as a sensitive element in infrared gas analyzers. A similar IR sensor is called non-dispersive. The analysis of the gas level is carried out using special filters, tuned to the perception of a certain spectrum.
Among the disadvantages of such devices is the high cost, so they are not used in all production facilities in the Russian Federation. An analysis of the excess of the maximum permissible concentration of carbon monoxide in air (mg / m3) by such devices is carried out in our country only in large institutions. When the chemical composition of the air changes, the reaction of the sensitive element occurs, the light wave changes, the detector detects an increase in the permissible norms of carbon monoxide (other harmful compounds). There is a direct correlation between the percentage of chemicals in the air and the change in spectrum. Due to the selectivity of such equipment, it is possible to scan atmospheric air for the presence of heavy gaseous compounds (chlorine and ammonia).
To power the device, it is necessary to connect it via a local network to a voltage of 220 V. Note that, at present, manufacturers also offer such modifications that operate on the basis of batteries.
The device has a special display with backlight, as well as an audible alarm. If serious carbon monoxide leaks are detected, the sensor instantly responds, the device emits a jerky, clear beep, and the device monitor blinks.
CO catalytic detectors
Their main difference is the insignificant consumption of electric energy in the process of direct operation. This is explained by the absence of a heating element in the device. After all, the role of a sensitive substance is liquid electrolyte. It is quite possible to operate such gas analyzers without a stationary electrical network, limiting themselves to rechargeable batteries.
The essence of the sensor is that it analyzes the CO content in the air through a chemical oxidation reaction that takes place inside the capsule of the device. Most often, the medium for electrochemical interaction is a galvanic cell, which is filled with a solution of alkali (potassium hydroxide).
Some manufacturers prefer to take acid solutions as the electrolyte, increasing the resistance of the cell to the effects of other molecules, improving its operational characteristics. When carbon monoxide molecules come into contact with the electrode of such a device, chemical interaction proceeds. The electrolyte notes the level of voltage that appears, converts this indicator into a percentage of CO.
The device has a microcircuit in which the MPC of carbon monoxide is fixed in the room. If the norm is exceeded, in this case the sensor gives a signal about the danger that has arisen. A small computer installed in the case monitors with high probability voltage surges resulting from a chemical reaction.
To control the cleanliness of the working environment, manufacturers, in addition to semiconductor sensors, also use carbon filters that can hold "extra" molecules, preventing them from interacting with carbon monoxide. A chemical protection system ensures the efficiency of such a device, reducing the likelihood of a false alarm.
To summarize
In any production room, in a boiler room, a garage, in educational and medical institutions, gas analyzers should be installed. Such devices, regardless of the specifics of the internal device (type and type) are able to respond to an increase in the concentration of carbon monoxide in the room, that is, they help prevent serious tragedies.