The earliest gas detector was actually a bird? Look at the evolution of gas detection methods together
Nowadays, gas detectors are widely used in petroleum, chemical, metallurgy, catering and other fields, effectively preventing fire, explosion, poisoning, asphyxiation and other hazardous accidents, and guaranteeing the safety of production and life. So, when did people start to recognise the hazards of gas? Gas detector for gas detection and how it was developed? Today, we will review the history together, witness the wisdom of the ancients and the power of science and technology!
Evolution of gas detection methods: In ancient times, due to the limitations of science and technology, people mainly relied on experience and intuitive observation for gas detection, the earliest gas detector was even a bird!
★Observation Method
In ancient times, people judged the nature of the surrounding air by observing the flame. For example, when a substance is ignited, if the flame takes on a particular colour, shape or degree of flickering, it can be surmised that a certain gas may be present in the air. Gases can also be detected by observing their physical properties such as colour, odour and state. For example, the ancients would judge the presence of chlorine gas based on whether the gas showed a yellowish-green colour.
★Test paper method
A specific test paper is immersed in the gas to be detected, and the colour change or other reaction of the paper is observed to determine the nature of the gas. For example, moist lead acetate test paper can be used to detect hydrogen sulphide gas, if the paper turns black, it indicates the presence of this gas.
★Live Mouth Test
Looking at the history of gas monitoring and detection instruments, miners were probably the first workers to recognise the need for a device to detect dangerous gases. As early as the 1800s and early 1900s, coal miners brought canaries into tunnels as an early detection system for life-threatening gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane. When in the presence of toxic gases, canaries will keep chirping and eventually stop chirping or even die. Therefore, miners can judge the presence of life-threatening gases in the tunnel based on the state of the canary and leave the mine quickly if necessary.
★ In 1815, the Flame Safety Lamp (or Davy Lamp) was born. The Flame Safety Lamp was invented by Sir Humphry Davy in England, and it can eliminate the danger of gas explosions in coal mines caused by candle or torch lighting. To this day, flame safety lamps are still in use in some parts of the world.
★Colourimetric tube introduced
In addition to gas, miners feared the "invisible killer" carbon monoxide. The "mine canary" became the miner's choice for testing the air for deadly carbon monoxide. Then came the carbon monoxide cuvette, which put an end to the brutal "mouth-to-mouth" test. The colour-coded tube technology can be regarded as the originator of the gas detection technology, as people's knowledge of oxygen continues to deepen, to detect the lack of oxygen oxygen detection colour-coded tube was also born.
★In 1926, the first portable combustible gas sensor was born.
The United States Oliver W. Johnson invented a use of combustible gases in a catalyst coated platinum wire for catalytic combustion mechanism of portable combustible gas sensors. This instrument had two meter heads, one to detect combustible gases and the other to adjust the sensor's equilibrium zero point. The first portable combustible gas sensor in the history of mankind was thus born, officially opening a new milestone in the field of gas detection.
★In 1928, the world's first gas detection company was founded.
In 1939, an interferometric gas detector was invented to detect petrol vapour and methane using the principle of light diffraction.
★In 1960, the first generation of electrochemical oxygen sensors appeared.
★In 1968, metal oxide sensors appeared.
★In 1969, more chemical sensors for toxic gases appeared.
★In 1981, electrochemical sensors for oxygen and many other toxic gases were introduced industrially.
★ From the 1980s to the 1990s, many electronic devices for detecting, monitoring, and warning of various gas leaks were developed based on the principle that carbon monoxide is detected by chemically injected paper, such as electronic carbon monoxide detectors.
★ In the 1990s, metal oxide semiconductor sensors (MOS sensors) were introduced, and MOS gas sensors followed. Since then, MOS sensors have gradually become important environmental gas detectors.
After entering the twenty-first century, the gas detection industry has become more and more promising, and the sensor detection method has become one of the most commonly used methods in gas detection. Sensors can determine the presence and concentration of a gas by measuring the physical or chemical changes between the gas and the sensor according to the characteristics of the gas. Common sensors include electrochemical sensors, optical sensors, infrared sensors and so on. Various types of sensor products can be widely used in petrochemical, coal, metallurgy, chemical, gas, environmental monitoring and many other places in the field detection work. The life of the products is longer, the measurement accuracy is higher, and also more and more intelligent.
Henan Chicheng Electric Co., Ltd. was founded in 2004, specialising in the research and development, production and sales of gas environment safety monitoring products. The main products are intelligent instruments and meters, alarm control systems and ancillary, intelligent sensors in the field of gas environment safety monitoring, which are mainly used in petroleum, chemical, gas, metallurgy, electric power, medicine, food and many other industrial fields, as well as public places in the city, the family civil, underground comprehensive pipeline corridors and other fields.
20 years of craftsmanship, guarding the safety of the gas environment! With the continuous development of new technologies, Chisholm Electric will develop smarter instruments to provide new solutions and new wisdom for gas environment safety detection!