Multi gas detector offer a crucial first line of defence against the dangers of undetected gas leaks on board a vessel.

Knowing how Multi gas detector work will help you choose the right solution for your vessel. Both fixed and portable gas detectors have a vital role in preserving the safety of crews and marine ecosystems.

Reliable, robust gas detection methods are crucial to effectively protect lives at sea – dangerous gases are a common hazard on board, and storage and transportation at sea present their unique challenges. Understanding how your gas detector works can help to streamline the decision-making process when selecting the equipment and technologies that keep your crews safe.

The science of Multi gas detector

Gases pose a specialised and heightened risk because of how they present. In most cases, only a minimal concentration of gas is needed to cause significant harm to health or the possibility of combustion or explosion, especially within the confined spaces found onboard most sea-going vessels.

Most gases are invisible – many more are also colourless and odourless. These characteristics mean gas poses a unique risk that is impossible to mitigate without the use of specialist technology – but it’s only in recent years that we’ve had access to more sophisticated automatic detection methods which can be calibrated at the touch of a button and provide 360, 24/7 protection against gas leaks.

Multi gas detector technology has come an incredibly long way since it was first developed in the late 19th century. Before automatic electronic methods, people working with potentially hazardous gases relied on various primitive methods to protect themselves against gas’s physical and environmental dangers, including the canaries used by miners to indicate a potentially toxic build-up of gases underground.

Modern gas detection methods have advanced considerably since then, of course, using a combination of technologies and accurately and efficiently identifying dangerous levels of gases and saving lives.

To answer this question effectively, you first need to know which type of gas detector you’re dealing with. Different gas detectors have different operating systems, depending on the type of gas.  Gas detectors generally fall into three main categories, all of which operate in slightly different ways:

Electrochemical: Highly sensitive electrochemical gas detectors measure toxic gases such as Carbon Monoxide. They work through sensing electrodes in the air, sending an electric current to sound the alarm.

Catalytic Bead: Using a platinum-treated wire coil, this type of gas detector most commonly identifies combustible gas in the air as the coil oxidises upon contact with the gas, tripping an alarm. Catalytic gas detectors are incredibly common, especially for use in domestic settings.

Infrared: Sophisticated infrared technology uses transmitters and receivers to accurately measure gas levels in the air. We use infrared gas detectors to detect hydrocarbons and combustible gases. It uses transmitted light to determine what types of gases and concentrations are present. It alerts when it detects the presence of high concentrations of gas.

All gas detectors have one feature in common. Once they detect a critical level of gas, they use a loud sound and light alarm.

Which type of multi gas detector is most accurate?

All gas detectors offer accuracy, but some have enhanced safety benefits compared with most. This is because they simultaneously reduce the possibility of human error and malfunction, ensuring the gas detector is working at total capacity and providing complete safety.

Determining factors for the type of technology used in a multi-gas detector:

1. Where will it be used
2. What do you need it for
3. The type of gas we use to detect
All this is because different gases require different detection techniques.

Electrochemical sensors are primarily used for non-flammable gases, including O2, H2S and CO. Our Marine 4 model uses a catalytic sensor - although this does not work in an inert atmosphere. But it can capture hydrogen in a way that infrared sensors can't.

When choosing a fixed gas detector, you have a choice, but infrared is much more expensive due to being more stable and offering its host of additional benefits. Marine 5 is customisable, so can it contain several different types of gas detection technology.

LEL infrared technology also has significant advantages over other gas detection methods. LEL infrared technology is immune to two threats of gas detectors - sensor poisoning and drift. There is no need to worry about these two issues and the extended battery life. You can rest assured that your gas detector is always ready for action.