Hydrogen is a very useful fuel for a variety of applications, including transport and storage. But it is also a volatile gas with the potential to cause explosions if it accumulates at dangerous concentration levels. Therefore, it is critical to be able to detect hydrogen leaks to prevent incidents and protect the health and safety of employees. Hydrogen detectors are essential tools for the job, but how do you choose the right one for your application?
A few key factors to consider include the operating range, optimized sensitivity, fast response times and continuous operation. Additionally, you should also consider the lifetime and cost of the sensor. Go here
The most commonly used method to determine the presence and concentration of hydrogen in an environment is through a catalytic combustion hydrogen sensor. This device uses two beads, with one passivated without a catalyst to act as a background reference and the other is coated with a catalyst to facilitate the reaction with hydrogen molecules. When hydrogen is present, it causes the bead to increase in resistance, which alters the balance of a Wheatstone bridge circuit and produces an output voltage value Vout.
Hydrogen Safety Guidelines: How Hydrogen Detectors Support Risk Mitigation
Pellistor sensors, on the other hand, use a specific chemical catalyst to cause any flammable material in the sensor to ignite and burn at a lower temperature than normal. This provides a direct measurement of the amount of flammable gas in the atmosphere, typically measured as a percentage of the lower explosive limit (LEL).
Another type of hydrogen sensor is the amperometric or potentiometric sensor, which measures the electrical current or voltage produced by a reaction between the cathode and the anode. The resulting signal is proportional to the concentration of hydrogen gas in the environment and can be read on a digital display.
