Ultrasonic Gas Leak Detector:Working,Advantages,disadvantages,Manufacturers
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Introduction : An Ultrasonic Gas Leak Sensor is a cutting edge technology designed to detect pressurized gas leaks by “listening” to the ultrasonic sound waves generated when gas escapes from a high pressure system. Ultrasonic gas leak sensors are widely used in oil and gas facilities, petrochemical plants, offshore platforms, and industrial processing units, where rapid detection of leaks is critical for preventing accidents, minimizing downtime and ensuring worker safety.
Ultrasonic Gas Sensor Working principle
As mentioned, the ultrasonic sensor detects sound generated by gas leaks. When pressurized gas escapes from pipe, valve or tank, it produces ultrasonic sound waves at frequencies greater than 20 KHz. Let us understand working of ultrasonic gas sensor.
- Microphone array used inside ultrasonic sensor detects sound in ultrasonic range i.e. 25 - 100 KHz.
- The system filters out background noise and isolates leak signatures.
- If the sound exceeds threshold after experiments, the detector triggers an alarm.
- This sensor responds immediately and does not wait for gas to accumulate.
Advantages of Ultrasonic Gas Sensor
Following are some of the benefits of Ultrasonic Gas Sensor.
- It is very fast in detection; which is usually within 1 sec.
- It works independent of gas type.
- It works outdoors in windy conditions.
- It covers large areas.
- Calibration is not needed.
- It is not affected by gas dispersion, density or wind direction.
- Ideal for high pressure gas pipelines, compressors, storage tanks etc.
Disadvantages of Ultrasonic Gas Sensor
Following are some of the drawbacks of Ultrasonic Gas Sensor.
- It can not measure concentration of gas. It can only detect leak occurence.
- It may miss very small leaks which is below sound threshold detection range.
- It is very expensive compared to MOS and Catalytic bead type.
- It is very sensitive to high background noise if not filtered properly.
- It is best suited only for high pressure gas systems and not low pressure leaks.
Manufacturers
SL NO | Manufacturers | Part Number |
---|---|---|
1 | Emerson / Net Safety | GTD Ultrasonic Gas Leak Detector |
2 | Honeywell Analytics | Searchzone Sonik™ |
3 | Dräger | GSU-U11 Ultrasonic Gas Leak Detector |
4 | MSA Safety | Ultima UGLD |
5 | Gassonic; now part of Emerson | Gassonic Observer-i |
Conclusion: With their ability to operate in extreme conditions and detect leaks before gas accumulates to dangerous levels, ultrasonic gas leak sensors have become an essential component of modern industrial safety and monitoring systems.
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