Gas sensors for the detection and monitoring of harmful substances within the environment such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane are essential elements of environmental risk assessment. Used in a wide range of industries, processes and applications they touch our every day lives monitoring toxins found in landfill and agriculture right down to modified atmosphere packaging. But what do you do when faced with monitoring gas levels in areas where no man should go? This is the issue which presented itself to our clients, NTCR Consulting.
NTCR are NASA contractors who specialise in the field of harsh environment technology. Tasked with helping a customer conduct volcanic research they had to find a solution to help them navigate and conduct their research in an area which was difficult to access and inhospitable. A gas sensing drone was the answer. As an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) this provided a versatile solution to access this hazardous and potentially contaminated terrain.
With an emphasis on CO2, H2S and SO2 a gas sensing drone was developed with enhancements including sensor options for CH4 and O3. The device included one of our own high sensitivity laser diodes with the additional option of up to four electro-chemical sensors. The sensors can be customised to a variety of specifications for species and sensitivity ranges.
Volcanic Drone Inspection, Italy
You can watch the UAV drone inspection test of the NTX minigaps Instrument Solfatara and Vulcano Deployment conducted in Italy below.
Solutions for Gas Sensing
Edinburgh Sensors have a range of gas sensors to suit a variety of gases. Manufactured to the highest specification, they can be integrated into a wide range of systems for fast and reliable measurements of CO, CO2 and CH4. We are able to provide bespoke solutions to meet research and technical requirements suitable to a wider range of gases.
View our range of gas sensors on our website or discuss your specific requirements, simply contact our sales team on Tel: +44 (0) 1506 425 320 or via email: sales@edinst.com. We look forward to working with you.
More Equipment for Volcanic Research
Our sister company, Isotopx, also produces a product that can be used for the measurement of volcanic gases. The NGX is a noble gas mass spectrometer, it’s used to measure the isotope ratios of certain noble gases very precisely in very small samples. Why measure the isotope ratios? It’s because certain noble gas isotope ratios can vary depending on the Earth’s physical process such as tectonic plate movement. The measurement of the isotope ratios can help scientists understand the temperature of formation of a certain volcanic rock, or even be used as a proxy for the air temperature at that time.
In other words, the measurement of noble gas isotope ratios helps us to understand the evolution of our world. This relates neatly to volcanoes; the isotope ratios help us understand the age of the volcano. And trapped noble gases inside fluid inclusions in the volcanic rocks can give us information about what was happening during the time of eruption. The NGX mass spectrometer from Isotopx has two completely unique and patented technologies meaning it is the most sensitive and precise instrument of its kind. You can read more about it here.
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