The level of comfort and safety of a person depends on the microclimate where people spend most of their lives, namely: in the home, office and in the office. Air pollution, reduction of green spaces, the use of synthetic materials worsens the composition and properties of the inhaled air mixture. In our country, there are regulatory documents that are required to adhere to responsible owners of industries and companies. To have an idea of the composition of the air mixture, devices and detectors have been developed that determine the state of the atmosphere for dust, the content of harmful substances, the deviation of the parameters of the air mixture from standard characteristics.
Scope of gas analyzers
A very important area of application of gas analyzers is the control of air purity in the offices of the building, which is understandable, because the owner of a small company, office or movie theater will not be able to influence the city air. In the office, taking into account modern capabilities, it is possible to create an acceptable atmosphere by installing a ventilation system that will work in the required mode, taking into account the state of the air mixture, which allows you to create the optimal atmosphere in the office premises. Sanitary norms establish special characteristics of air, which include temperature, humidity, concentration of carbon dioxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds, smoke and dust. The effectiveness and speed of determining indicators depends on the accuracy of the air quality sensor. When there are a lot of people in the building, the gas analyzer must quickly measure the state of the air mixture, according to his commands, clean air should be supplied more intensively. If there are few or no people at all, the supply should decrease until it stops completely.
Carbon Dioxide Analyzers
One of the main parameters that characterize the optimal composition of air is the concentration of carbon dioxide. When a person enters the office and notes that it is stuffy in it, this most likely indicates an increased content of carbon dioxide. When inhaling air, where the carbon dioxide content is higher than the recommended values, the body feels discomfort, a person feels tired, becomes inattentive and distracted. When a significant number of people are in the office, when they all exhale carbon dioxide, the room becomes stuffy, therefore, the main criterion for the poor composition of the air mixture is the content of carbon dioxide in it, indicating the need to ventilate the office. Tracking the carbon dioxide content in the air allows you to monitor the atmosphere in the building. For this, air quality sensors are used to monitor the level of carbon dioxide, they are produced by various companies, there are many models that differ in price and characteristics, and various options for their placement are offered.
Indoor detectors
Tracking carbon dioxide content with Arduino indoor air quality sensors is based on attenuation of infrared radiation with increasing carbon dioxide. Measurement by infrared analyzer. Indoor air mixture condition analyzers make it possible to individually adjust the supply of external air, if necessary, to refresh the cabinet, provide air quality that meets standards, and reduce energy costs, since the supply is carried out at the right time. Many models of indoor air quality sensors are produced, there are many types of wall-mounted devices. Of the indoor air condition detectors, two types are most used:
- Carbon dioxide detector with relay output, ventilation system control buttons, LED indicators.
- The detector without indication and control buttons. The analyzers show the content of carbon dioxide in the room; when its concentration is exceeded, the employee independently turns on ventilation and provides an influx of clean external air. All detectors can measure the amount of carbon dioxide, tracking the boundary indicators, measurements usually have the following ranges:
- From 0 to 0.02%.
- From 0 to 0.03%.
- From 0 to 0.05%.
- From 0 to 0.1%.
The received data is converted into active output signals to the monitor; it is possible to use the analog output of data that carries information about the concentration of carbon dioxide. State standards regulate the permissible concentration of carbon dioxide in the air and the performance of the ventilation system, which depends on the number of people. According to the standard, there should be at least thirty cubic meters of supply air per hour per employee. The room air quality sensor must be installed in accordance with the standards at a distance exceeding one meter from the permanent location of people, but not closer than one meter to the supply ventilation.
Automatic sensors for ventilation
To automate the operation of the supply and cleaning system, air quality sensors for ventilation are used. These devices are connected to ventilation control devices and, when the parameters deviate from the set ones, automatically regulate the oxygen flow. Automation of ventilation systems makes it possible to maintain the state of air in the room at an optimal level, eliminating the human factor. Air quality sensors integrated in the ventilation also save energy, as air conditioners and ventilation systems do not work all the time, but only at the time set by the program. Analyzers can be connected to humidification or ozonation systems. The technology of the device is that through the relay the sensor turns on the ventilation system only when an excess of carbon dioxide concentration is noticed.
SQA gas analyzer
In addition to carbon dioxide, other gases and odors can be in the house. In order to monitor the quality of respirable oxygen and the increase in the concentration of certain gases, gas analyzers were developed. They are able to control the characteristics of the air mixture. The SQA air quality sensor monitors the concentration of a non-separate element of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide or other individual gas, it turns on ventilation when organic substances are detected that change the composition of the atmosphere depending on the parameters in the device. After the microclimate parameters of the office are reached, and the air mixture acquires the necessary characteristics, the air supply from the outside will continue for some time, set by the timer, up to twenty-five minutes. The control device can set the specified parameters of the air, when deviating from them, it includes a forced supply of the air mixture to achieve the optimal composition.
Arduino Air Pollution Detector
The Environmental Protection Agency has identified five major air pollutants, including nitric oxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and particulate matter. The Arduino air quality sensor is an optimal and very economical way to monitor air purity; it can detect contamination with major harmful agents besides sulfur dioxide. The device also has a detector of solid particles, humidity, temperature and an analyzer for detecting the presence of domestic gas, which makes it possible to determine leaks and the presence of other combustible hydrocarbons in the air. Air quality sensors start ventilation automatically to clean the building. This happens if there is an excess for any given parameter.
VOC Air Quality Sensors
The acronym VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. The VOC air quality sensor measures the composition of the mixed air with a mixed gas analyzer. It monitors the concentration of the existing gas mixture . The analyzer determines the state of air, allows you to quantify its saturation with various gases, cigarette smoke, vapor of gasoline, solvent, paint. This sensor itself is calibrated, controlled by a microprocessor, an excess of the concentration of harmful impurities is detected using a chemical sensitive element that reacts with organic impurities of air pollutants, which leads to a change in its electrical conductivity. It is measured by instruments and converted into digital form. A sensitive chemical element is consumed during operation of the device, its service life depends on the type of pollutants and their concentration.
KNX Air Condition Detectors
KNX is an automated building services system, standardized and using unified software. Automation of home control using the system makes it possible to significantly save energy, for example, the use of integrated building maintenance with ventilation control can provide energy savings of up to forty-five percent. When using the KNX system, air quality sensors control the ventilation of the entire building. Detectors of other functions, heating, blinds, lighting are also connected to the control devices of these systems. The essence of the microclimate control scheme in the building is to measure air quality sensors with sensors, record current readings and transfer them to the microclimate control system, which regulates the supply or termination of fresh air to a given room.
Pollen Detectors
Currently, a whole line of indoor air quality sensors is available that can detect pollen in the air. Such devices determine the degree of pollution of the atmosphere by solid particles. Manufacturing companies have developed and are implementing devices for determining the amount of dust and pollen that can distinguish particles up to 2.5 microns in size using optical methods and using a laser beam. Particles of this size are considered serious and hazardous to health air pollutants, in Japan and China they are considered an important factor in the growth of diseases. Pollen and dust are especially dangerous for those with asthma, chronic pneumonia, and cardiovascular diseases during seasonal flowering of plants. The optical method consists in collecting light scattered from particles by a system of mirrors. The developers of the sensors believe that the device is able to distinguish dust particles from pollen by analyzing the characteristic features of scattered light. Detectors using an optical method to control the concentration of dust and pollen in the air show the amount of particles suspended in the air. A device that uses a laser beam to determine the amount of solid particles in air uses a method of directing a laser beam into the air, and the concentration of suspended particles in the air is determined from the scattering of the returned beam.
Pollen Air Purifiers
People could not stop at determining the degree of pollution and developed devices for cleaning air from impurities. Good inventions for air purification need to perform at least two tasks: to maintain the optimal state of air by ventilation, to clean it of suspended particles, as well as harmful gases. These appliances must be equipped with filters that must catch dust, pollen and other solid pollutants. The principle of cleaning consists in driving the air mixture with the device fan through a set of filters, which allows for quick cleaning of rooms with significant volumes.
Many models are equipped with carbon filters, which trap most of the carcinogenic substances, gases, eliminate odors, tobacco smoke, sometimes models are additionally equipped with air ionizers. There are also instruments for measuring air quality with pollen sensors. By cleaning methods, the following types of cleaners can be distinguished:
- The electrostatic cleaner purifies with ionized air. It effectively captures dust, soot and tobacco smoke. Ozonator equipment helps regulate the number of germs and bacteria. The device is easy to maintain, consumes little electricity, is inexpensive, does not require consumables, you just need to periodically remove the accumulated dust.
- Cleaners with replaceable filters are very effective against dust. They are inexpensive, but the filters need to be replaced periodically.
- Photocatalytic cleaners are considered the most effective; cleaning is done by decomposing a solid air substance under the influence of ultraviolet rays and a catalyst. It is also effective against odors and smoke. These devices do not need consumables, but have a rather high cost.
- Purifiers using water to clean the air . Devices of this type usually combine a humidifier and an air purifier at the same time.
Often, the manufacturer in one air quality sensor has to fit a whole combination of different cleaning methods, which increases the efficiency of the device. The choice of such an apparatus should be made taking into account the area of the house, the amount of dust, the presence of smokers, as well as the price and manufacturer. A man has come up with many ways to detect pollutants and control the state of air in the premises, even more will be invented. However, still, do not forget about the elementary, centuries-old methods of combating dust, dirt and odors, this is a systematic wet cleaning and dust removal.
In modern residential premises, a comprehensive automated control of the state of stay in office premises is used, which automatically allows you to respond to changing microclimate characteristics in buildings. But in old buildings, ventilation is rarely equipped with at least coarse filters to clean incoming air from large particles of dust. In order not to jeopardize the health of personnel, experts recommend installing local systems for maintaining the indoor climate. The air quality relay sensor may help.
Gas analyzer reviews
Many people in our country have already purchased devices that monitor the level of air pollution in the living room. Customer reviews of gas analyzers say that they help maintain health. It is especially important to use these devices in large cities, where the level of air pollution often exceeds acceptable standards. Gas analyzers are also praised by young parents seeking to protect their baby from the harmful effects of the environment.
Moms on the forums leave mostly positive reviews about automatic air purifiers and gas analyzers. They emphasize that a child’s weak body sometimes suffers from dust and dirt in the apartment, which often leads to allergies.