Abstract
This paper introduces a new way to analyze mixtures of inflammable gases with a single catalytic sensor. The analysis technology was based on a new finding that an electric field on the catalytic sensor can change the output sensitivity of the sensor. The analysis of mixed inflammable gases results from processing the output signals obtained by adjusting the electric field parameter of the catalytic sensor. For the signal process, we designed a group of equations based on the heat balance of catalytic sensor expressing the relationship between the output signals and the concentration of gases. With these equations and the outputs of different electric fields, the gas concentration in a mixture could be calculated. In experiments, a mixture of methane, butane and ethane was analyzed by this new method, and the results showed that the concentration of each gas in the mixture could be detected with a single catalytic sensor, and the maximum relative error was less than 5%.
Highlights
The analysis of mixtures of inflammable gases is very important for safety monitoring in mines because coal mine explosions are often caused by combustible gases
In our study of catalytic sensors, we found that different electric fields could change the rate of the oxidation reaction of combustible gases on the sensor’s surface and affect the output sensitivity of the catalytic sensor [11]
Its output is not affected by the environmental temperature, but in the constant temperature detection circuit, without the compensating element, the output will be influenced by the environmental temperature, because the catalytic sensor is made of platinum wire which is sensitive to temperature
Summary
The analysis of mixtures of inflammable gases is very important for safety monitoring in mines because coal mine explosions are often caused by combustible gases. Sensors 2014, 14 three kinds of sensors used for gas monitoring in coal mines: infrared sensors, thermal conductivity sensors and catalytic sensors. The gas analysis with an infrared sensor or thermal conductivity sensor could be influenced by the humidity and is not suitable for application in coal mines. In our study of catalytic sensors, we found that different electric fields could change the rate of the oxidation reaction of combustible gases on the sensor’s surface and affect the output sensitivity of the catalytic sensor [11]. The research results showed that as the field strength increased, the output sensitivity of the catalytic sensor for combustible gases increased. We will use these findings for the analysis of mixed combustible gases Figure 1.
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