Monitoring CO gas to guard lives!

In daily life and industrial production, carbon monoxide (CO), as a colorless, odorless but highly toxic gas, often poses a serious threat to people's lives and health. In order to effectively monitor and control the concentration of carbon monoxide, electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors are very necessary. 

Principle of Electrochemical Carbon Monoxide Sensors

Electrochemical carbon monoxide sensor is a gas detection element based on electrochemical principles. An electrochemical reaction occurs when Carbon Monoxide gas molecules pass through a permeable membrane into the interior of the sensor and come into contact with the surface of the sensing electrode. Specifically, Carbon Monoxide is oxidized on the working electrode, producing Carbon Dioxide, electrons and protons (hydrogen ions). At the same time, these electrons flow through an external circuit to the counter electrode, forming an electric current. The magnitude of this current is directly proportional to the concentration of Carbon Monoxide, so the gas concentration can be determined by measuring the current strength.

There is a good linear relationship between the current output from the sensor and the carbon monoxide concentration, which makes signal processing and concentration readings simple and accurate.

                                                Schematic of Electrochemical Carbon Monoxide sensor

Applications of Electrochemical Carbon Monoxide Sensors

With fast response time, high sensitivity, and low cost, Electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors have a wide range of applications in a number of fields, including civil fire protection, industrial safety, and energy storage safety.

Industrial Safety Field

Carbon monoxide is a common toxic gas that may be released into the air due to incomplete combustion. Therefore, electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors are widely used to monitor CO concentrations in factories and workshops to ensure safety of workers. The sensors can monitor the concentration of CO in real time and accurately. Once the concentration exceeds the safety standard, an alarm will be issued immediately to remind workers to take necessary protective measures, thus effectively avoiding the occurrence of carbon monoxide poisoning accidents.

Energy Storage Safety Field

Battery packs in energy storage power stations are susceptible to internal and external factors such as overcharging and over-discharging, overheating, mechanical collision and other factors under highly aggregated conditions, leading to collapse of the battery diaphragm and internal short-circuiting, which in turn triggers thermal runaway and fire. And carbon monoxide is one of the toxic gases that will be released by the energy storage battery before a safety accident occurs. Therefore, the application of electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors can realize early warning monitoring, timely detect abnormalities and take measures to effectively avoid fire accidents.

Civil Fire Protection Field

Electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors are widely used in fire protection systems in homes, commercial buildings and public places. By monitoring the concentration of CO produced by fire, it can detect fire hazards at an early stage, saving valuable time for people to escape and firefighters to rescue, thus effectively safeguarding lives and properties of people.

With the continuous progress of technology and the enhancement of environmental protection awareness, the application fields of electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors are also expanding.

• In the field of smart home, this sensor can be integrated into the gas water heater with carbon monoxide protection and gas leakage protection function, 24-hour real-time detection of carbon monoxide, methane content in the space, once the gas concentration is detected to exceed the alert value, immediately alarm to remind, through the active anti-leakage to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning accident.
  

• In the field of smart cities, electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors can also be used to monitor the concentration of carbon monoxide in the urban environment, providing data support for urban planning and environmental protection.
  

• In addition, electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors also have a wide range of application prospects in the field of environmental protection monitoring, automobile exhaust monitoring and other fields.

As an important part of modern technology, electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors play an important role in safeguarding lives and health of people with their high sensitivity, fast response and accuracy.

With the continuous progress of technology and the continuous development of the market, performance of electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors will continue to improve, and the application scenarios will be more extensive, bringing more convenience and safety to people.