INDUSTRY SENSORS


WE’RE NOT ALWAYS HIGHLY productive at work. Instead, despite our best efforts, we fall short. We might blame a poor night’s sleep, a lunch that was a little heavier than it should have been, or maybe, just maybe, a stuffy office that causes us to yawn and fail to maintain our concentration.


If the latter is to blame for sub-optimal productivity, help is on its way. In several countries, legislation is being introduced to set minimum standards for air quality at work, while in the UK, similar requirements will be set for schools.


In many workplaces, it is the operation of the heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system that determines air quality. To prevent fatigue- inducing carbon dioxide levels from getting too high, air is pulled in from outside to increase the proportion of oxygen within the building.


It is possible to always draw in enough air from outside to deliver sufficient air quality. But that’s expensive: Air taken from outside often has to


be heated, so it is better for the amount of fresh air that is introduced to track the level of CO2


in


the building, which tallies with its occupancy. Do that and it is possible to trim the cost of air conditioning by up to 25 percent.


To realise these significant savings, a network of sensors have to be deployed to monitor carbon dioxide levels throughout the building. The expense associated with this is not only governed by the price of the sensors, but also their cost of installation. Traditionally, sensors have to be hard- wired to mains electricity, and if the layout of the building is altered – not an uncommon occurrence in offices – wiring must be stripped out before the sensors are repositioned and re-wired.


Superior sensing Fortunately, there is more sensible way for monitoring the air quality. Recently, Scottish start-up Gas Sensing Solutions (GSS) launched the world’s first CO2


sensor that does not have to be hooked up to the mains, but can run off AA Simplifying air quality monitoring


Conventional sensors for assessing the air quality in buildings are wired into the mains, making them expensive to install and reposition. But portability and battery powering is possible with Gas Sensing Solutions’ modules that feature mid-infrared LEDs and photodetectors. Richard Stevenson reports.


30 www.compoundsemiconductor.net August / September 2013


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