Measuring sums of gas partials for safety monitoring - applying sensor system using metal oxide semiconductors allowing specific weighting of signal

摘要

Homogeneous semiconductor or other sensitive gas sensors are used. Two or more sensor arrays are applied, each with one or more sensor elements, at two or more different heights. A measure for evaluation of the partial sums is provided by the concn. differences of the gases at the arrays on the basis of different specific weightings. The latter is achieved by various doping or working temps. of the sensor elements for different reactions to the gases. Gas entrance openings (2) can be stacked vertically in a housing (1). Separate gas-sealed housings (3,4) are placed behind the openings and contain the sensor (6) arrays (5). A central electronic unit (7) controls the arrays with an electrical sensor resistance and processes the measurement values. USE/ADVANTAGE - Allows contaminated ground, e.g buried rubbish dump, sewage, to be economically continuously monitored, differentiating between levels of safe gas emission and sudden outbreaks of potentially dangerous gas.