UK Focus i
THE UK GAS ANALYSIS AND SENSING GROUP (GASG) - THE FIRST 30 YEARS
Author Contact Details Name • Company • Address: 00000000000000 • Tel: 00000000000000 • Email: 0000000000000000 • Web: 00000000000000000000000
Author Photo
Past and present committee members celebrating the GASG 30th anniversary. Crowcon Detection Instruments, Abingdon, June 2023.
The following is adapted and updated from earlier articles and has been written to mark the 30th Anniversary of the inauguration of the GASG.
Joe Watson & Martin Willett, September 2023.
Foundation D
uring the 1980s and 90s considerable interest developed in sensors and transducers as a subject in its own right. Digital technology was burgeoning and the acquisition of digital information from a fundamentally analog world presented signifi cant challenges. Work on A-D conversion was complemented by the development of signal acquisition circuitry that could accommodate the wide range of phenomena addressed by a rapidly expanding suite of physical, chemical and biological sensors (to detect the presence of gases) and transducers (to provide meaningful measurements).
The need for a professional organisation in the UK to facilitate information sharing on sensors and transducers was soon apparent. However, accommodating the breadth of science, technology and application methods necessary for a comprehensive approach proved challenging. As a result some initiatives were unsuccessful, although the UKSG (United Kingdom Sensors Group) was a notable exception. Early sensor conferences suffered from similar drawbacks, frequently offering programmes covering such widely divergent topics that many delegates found only a small fraction of relevance to their own interests. However, the annual Eurosensors Conference series, which began in Cambridge in 1987 and continues to thrive, demonstrated that with dedicated effort these issues could be successfully addressed.
Nevertheless, it was apparent that a more focussed approach would be benefi cial. Gas detection was an obvious choice given that the UK already had signifi cant and expanding activity in that area. The academic, industrial and commercial organisations involved at this time were indeed diverse, with interests including;
• Combustion emission monitoring to improve effi ciency and reduce pollution.
• Medical gas analysis for patient monitoring and improved early diagnostics.
• Monitoring of complex gas phase processes, for example in chemical plants and refi neries.
• Safety monitoring in hazardous industries such as mining, oil and gas extraction and synthesized gas production.
• Environmental and transport pollution monitoring.
The importance of gas detection equipment was derived not only from the signifi cant economic value generated by the relevant UK manufacturers, who were opening up new applications and markets, but also in the wider benefi ts accruing from the use of safety-oriented instruments. The provision of early detection and analysis for worker safety facilitated sustainable processes and the reduction of environmental pollution was also a critical area of attention for the industry at that time.
By September 1993, the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) had assisted in the formation of a number of ‘Sensor Interest Groups’ under its Advanced Sensor Technology Transfer Programme (ASTTP). Assisted by Mark Churchyard and Jo Bazeley of the DTI, a new group was formed to focus on gas sensors, subsequently named the Gas Analysis and Sensing Group (GASG). The ASTTP provided funding support for 3 years, after which the group became entirely self-supporting via membership fees, as it remains to this day.
At the GASG inaugural meeting in December 1993 the fi rst committee was elected, comprising Joe Watson (Univ. of Wales, Swansea) – Chair, Jo Bazeley (DTI/ASTTP), Paul Corcoran (Derby University), Jonathan Gilby (City Technology), Peter McGeehin (UKSG/Capteur), Russ Pride (British Gas), Graham Thomas (Graham Thomas Consultants) and John Wykes (British Coal). In March 1994, Graham Thomas was elected as GASGs fi rst Vice- Chair.
The Sensors for Water Interest Group (SWIG) was formed around the same time and, like the GASG, continues to fl ourish. These are the only two organisations arising from the original DTI initiative that are still operating. Others, such as the Optical Sensors Collaborative Association (OSCA) were also successful, but had much shorter existences.
Our current Chair, Jane Hodgkinson, remarked upon the longevity of the SWIG and GASG. “I have been active in all three areas – gas sensing, water sensing and optical sensing - so may be well placed to comment. I wonder whether meetings that concentrate on a family of measurands or around a particular sector attract more people from the industries they serve. In addition, the optical sensors community has been well served by academic conferences (which also attract technology-led companies in the fi eld). Because this group clustered around a particular technology solution, the need for a new organisation serving optical sensors was perhaps less compelling.”
Aims & Operation
The original purpose of the GASG was to provide a forum for the discussion and dissemination of information on all aspects of sensing, analysis and monitoring of gases, volatiles (VOCs) and particulates in both gaseous and dissolved states including:
• New and interesting technologies for detection and measurement including sensor materials and design.
• Sampling, calibration and data analysis methods to improve the reliability, accuracy and specifi city of detectors.
• Applications in the industrial and domestic sectors (including the energy industries and process control), defence, security and transport (land, sea & air). Uses in environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, toxicology, forensics, agriculture and food.
• Human factors in measurement, both in the design of instruments and reporting of results.
• Standards development and metrology. • The business of gas and particulate detection.
These aims have remained at the core of the GASG for 30 years, developing as the gas detection landscape is impacted by changes in technology, the environment, markets and society. The group has sought to anticipate and refl ect this evolution by stimulating research and development and encouraging the adoption of appropriate gas detection methods for the benefi t of all users.
For over 20 years following inauguration, the GASG was run by Joe Watson, with valuable administrative support provided by Swansea University. When this arrangement ceased in 2015, the GASG was reconstituted as an independent company, but continuing to run as a non-profi t making organisation funded by members’ subscriptions and meeting fees.
As Jane Hodgkinson remembers “The change was by no means straightforward. We initially looked to see whether we could join an existing scientifi c / engineering society as a special interest group. However, there were several problems with this approach since we were - and remain - highly multidisciplinary. Keeping the physicists and the chemists happy at the same time was always going to be a challenge! Furthermore, our members are organisations, not individuals, and collecting personal subscriptions in the same way as the societies was not appropriate. Finally we looked at using the same administration team as CoGDEM and the STA. After much fi nancial modelling and discussion, we took a deep breath and plunged in. There were tight deadlines and at several moments when we didn’t think we were going to make it with our reserves intact. But
WWW.ENVIROTECH-ONLINE.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
