Advantages of Gas sensor | Disadvantages of Gas sensor types
This page covers advantages and disadvantages of Gas sensor types. It mentions Gas sensor advantages and Gas sensor disadvantages. Gas sensor types include catalytic, thermal, electrochemical, optical, infrared, semiconductor, SAW etc.
Definition: The chemical sensor device which comprises a transducer and active layer to convert chemical information into any other form of electronic signal such as frequency change, voltage or current change is known as gas sensor.
Our environment contains different gases which could be hazardous beyond certain limits. It is essential to monitor gas levels for the safety of human beings, animals and plants. There are various gas sensor technologies for detection of these different gases.
Based on the above there are various gas sensor types as listed below.
• Catalytic Gas Sensor
• Thermal Conductivity Gas Sensor
• Electrochemical Gas Sensor
• Optical Gas Sensor
• Infrared Gas Sensor
• Semiconductor Gas Sensor
• Acoustic Wave Gas Sensor
Advantages of Gas sensor | Disadvantages of Gas sensor
Following are the advantages of Gas sensor and disadvantages of Gas sensor of various types as mentioned above.
| Gas sensor type | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Catalytic Gas Sensor | ➨Simple and low cost technology ➨Measures flammability of gases |
➨It requires air or oxygen to work ➨It can be poisoned by lead, chlorine and silicon |
| Thermal Conductivity Gas Sensor | ➨It has robust and simple construction. ➨It is easy to operate in the absence of oxygen. ➨It has very wide measurement range. |
➨It gets reacted due to heating of wire. |
| Electrochemical Gas Sensor | ➨It measures toxic gases in very low concentrations. ➨It has ability to detect wide range of gases. |
➨It is difficult to know failure modes unless very advanced
methods of monitoring are used. |
| Optical Gas Sensor | ➨It is very easy to operate in the absence of oxygen. ➨It is not affected by EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). ➨It has very wide monitoring area. |
➨It is affected due to ambient light interference. |
| Infrared Gas Sensor | ➨It uses physical technique only for sensing. ➨There are no unseen failure modes. ➨It can be used in inert atmospheres. |
➨All the gases do not have infrared absorption. ➨Sequential monitoring is slower on multi-point analyzers. ➨It requires more user expertise. |
| Semiconductor Gas Sensor | ➨It is mechanically very robust sensor. ➨It works well at constant high humidity condition. |
➨It is susceptible to contaminants and changes
due to environment conditions.
➨non-linear response affects sensor complexity. |
| Acoustic Wave Gas Sensor | ➨It can detect nerve and blister agents. ➨It is battery less. ➨It can be used for wireless applications. ➨It can be placed in harsh & rotating parts. |
➨It is difficult to handle while fabrication due to smaller size. |
Refer application note on interfacing of gas sensor >> with ESP32 board for more information. Also refer ESP32 vs ESP8266 >> for difference between ESP32 and ESP8266 boards.
Advantages and Disadvantages of other Sensor Types
Different types of Sensors Related links
Article on Sensors and Transducers>>
Proximity Sensor
Occupancy Sensor vs Motion Sensor
LVDT and RVDT sensor
Position, displacement and level sensor
force sensor and strain sensor
temperature sensor
pressure sensor
Humidity sensor
MEMS sensor
Touch sensor
Haptic sensor
Wireless sensor