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VOCs sensor

Volatile organic compounds

Reliable real-time
information on VOCs

GasPlug TECHNOLOGY | PATENTED DESIGN

Volatile_organic_compounds
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Where is it found?

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) can be produced by fuel combustion (wood, coal, gasoline etc.) such as mobile sources and industries. They can be released to the atmosphere due to gasoline, paint, and solvents evaporation from above ground storage tanks. Another of the most important emission sources is biogenic, by vegetation natural release.

Why is it harmful?

Many VOCs are toxic and can cause cancer, mutations, and/or other serious health problems. One of the most harmful compounds is benzene, which can cause leukaemia. Some of them contribute to ozone formation with associated health effects, and environmental and climate effects.

It also contributes to the formation of CO2 and secondary organic aerosols that can warm and cool the atmosphere, respectively.

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VOCs cartridge

The Volatile Organic Compounds cartridge has a built-in photoionization detector (PID) sensor equipped with a 10.6 eV light energy source to accurately measure hundreds of VOCs commonly found in indoor and outdoor environments. Its cutting-edge design avoids any undesirable humidity effect, giving 10,000 hours of continuous operation.

To cover different applications, there are 2 measurement ranges:

  • Type A: detects low ppb concentrations in outdoor ambient environments. Kunak algorithm corrects the temperature, humidity and pressure variations allowing accurate measurements from very low concentrations (<5 ppb) up to >3,000 ppb, with very low variability between sensors.
  • Type B: higher range version that can measure up to 40 ppm. It is not recommended to use this cartridge to detect levels below 1 ppm, since the accuracy of the sensor at low concentrations decreases.

Technical specifications

Type
Photoionization detector
Unit of measurement
µg/m3, ppb(A)
mg/m3, ppm(B)
Measurement range(1)
0 - 3,000 ppb(A)
0 - 40 ppm(B)
Resolution(2)
1 ppb(A)
0.01 ppm(B)
Operating temperature range(3)
-40 to 60ºC
Operating RH range(4)
0 to 99 %RH
Recommended RH range(4)
0 to 99 %RH
Operating life(5)
10,000 hours
Guarantee range(6)
50 ppm(A)
60 ppm(B)
Limit of Detection (LOD)(7)
1 ppb(A)
0.01 ppm(B)
Repeatability(8)
5 ppb (A)
< 0.02 ppm(B)
Response time(9)
< 12 sec(A)
< 10 sec(B)
Typical accuracy (MAE)(10)
± 10 ppb(A)
± 0.1 ppm
Typical precision R2 (10)
> 0.99
Typical slope(10)
0.99 - 1.002
Typical intercept (a)(10)
-9 ppb ≤ a ≤ +9 ppb(A)
-0.08 ppm ≤ a ≤ +0.08 ppm(B)
Typical Intra-model variability(12)
< 3 ppb(A)
< 0.1 ppm(B)
  1. Measurement range: concentration range measured by the sensor.
  2. Resolution: the smallest unit of measurement that can be indicated by the sensor.
  3. Operating temperature range: temperature interval at which the sensor is rated to operate safely and provide measurements.
  4. Operating RH range (Recommended RH range): humidity interval at which the sensor is rated to operate safely and provide measurements.
  5. Operating life: lifetime of the sensor at normal conditions.
  6. Guarantee range: limit covered by the guarantee.
  7. LOD (Limit Of Detection): measured at laboratory conditions at 20ºC and 50% RH. The limit of detection is the minimum concentration that can be detected as significantly different at zero gas concentration, based on the metric from the Technical Specification CEN/TS 17660-1:2022.
  8. Repeatability (measured at laboratory conditions at 20ºC and 50% RH): closeness of the agreement between the results of successive measurements of the same measure carried out under the same conditions of measurement, based on the metric from the Technical Specification CEN/TS 17660-1:2022.
  9. Response time: time needed by the sensor to reach 90% of the final stable value.
  10. Statistical metric: statistics obtained between the device hourly measurements and reference instruments for 1 to 8 months field test between -10 to +30ºC in different countries. (*) The expected error for PM10 is higher in the presence of coarse particles.
  11. Mean Absolute Error: it is the average mean absolute error (MAE) obtained between the device hourly measurements and reference instruments for 1 to 8 months of field test between -10 to +30ºC in different countries.
  12. Error: it is the error of the sensor at reading measurement or full scale.
  13. DQO-Typical U(exp): Data Quality Objective expressed as the Expanded Uncertainty in the Limit Value obtained between hourly measurements of the device and the reference instruments for 1 to 8 months field test between -10 to +30ºC in different countries, based on the metric from the European Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC and from the Technical Specification CEN/TS 17660-1:2022. (*) The expected error for PM10 is higher in the presence of coarse particles.
  14. Typical intra-model variability: calculated as the standard deviation of the three sensor means in 1 to 8 months field test between -10 to +30ºC in different countries.

It is essential to have an instrument that is capable of accurately measuring pollution levels and providing reliable results to make informed decisions on air quality and public health.

Javier Fernández

CEO & Co-founder - Kunak