New NDIR sensor for nitrous oxide (N₂O) up to 500 ppm

smartGAS now complements the high-performance NDIR gas sensor series FLOWEVO with nitrous oxide or Dinitrogen monoxide (N₂O), adding another important measuring gas. (Image: smartGAS)

NDIR gas sensors are suitable for highly accurate measurement of a wide range of gases and make an important contribution to industrial process safety and control as well as occupational and environmental protection. With the new nitrous oxide sensor, smartGAS expands the product range of the NDIR-FLOWEVO family for the detection of an important greenhouse gas that is produced and used in many technical applications.

Di-nitrogen monoxide (N₂O), known by the trivial name laughing gas due to its pain-relieving effect and one of the first modern anesthetics, is not only used in medicine today. It also serves in the food industry as a propellant for whipped cream (E 942) or in aerospace engineering for oxidizing unwanted exhaust gases in rocket engines. Due to its high density and low storage pressure at low temperatures, it is very economical to store in high-pressure gas systems. Unfortunately, di-nitrogen monoxide also acts as a greenhouse gas, which is 300 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. N₂O is produced, for example, as an emission from the use of fertilizer in agriculture, during the synthesis of nitric acid, or wastewater treatment. The production of wood products and the combustion of biomass as well as fossil fuels are additional anthropogenic sources.

Emission control in a compact design

smartGAS offers a tailored technology for N₂O monitoring with its reliable, precise, and economical non-dispersive infrared absorption sensors (NDIR) for gas detection. The particularly long-term stable sensors are low-maintenance, durable, and can be customized for each application. The FLOWEVO sensor for di-nitrogen monoxide covers the entire measurement range from 0 to 500 ppm with a digital resolution of 1 ppm (parts per million) and, like all smartGAS gas sensors, is supplied pre-calibrated and ready for operation. The power supply is 3.3 to 6 VDC, and digital signal interfaces include Modbus ASCII and RTU. For measurement, the target gas is passed through the sensor at a flow rate of 0.1 to 1.0 l/min. The detection limit is ≤ 0.6 ppm, and the repeatability is ≤ ± 2.5 ppm.