Webinar recording
Questions & Answers
Air Quality Innovation in Just 1 Click
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Which is the status of the certification of this professional equipment?
The European Technical Specification CEN/TS 17660-1:2021: Air qualityAir quality refers to the state of the air we breathe and its composition in terms of pollutants present in the atmosphere. It is considered good when poll...
Read more – Performance evaluation of air quality sensorMeasuring air quality is essential for improving human and environmental health. Changes in the natural composition of the air we breathe are common in ind...
Read more systems – Part 1: Gaseous pollutants in ambient air, has been approved in February 2022, please check the link. So, we are waiting for the laboratories to adopt this norm and finally apply for the testing, but this takes a while.
How long does the webinar last? 1 or 2 hours?
The webinar lasts approximately 35-40 minutes, including the Q&A stage.
I would like to ask about the accreditation process of KUNAK
This question is linked to the first answer. Additionally, Kunak offers a calibration certificate which assures the performance of the cartridges consistent with the requirements of the CEN/TS 17660-1:2021, related to the gas sensors. And Kunak PM sensor is certified as an indicative measurement according to the MCERTS Certification.
What other gas cartridges are in development currently?
We are expecting to release new industry gases, we’ll keep you posted through our newsletter.
Is it possible to accredit Kunak based on EN Standards?
Sensor-based technology is not certified yet but Kunak devices have been tested by independent institutions leaders in sensor testing such as the case of US EPA, AIRLAB, MCERTS, etc.
If I correctly understood, this kind of tool measures the ‘environmental’ air quality; are the measured concentrations compared with regulations for air quality? Are they useful also near the emission sources?
Yes, Kunak measurements are comparable to reference instruments because we can provide indicative measurements that are consistent with the air quality objectives.
On the other hand, Kunak devices have been designed to monitor immissions but both concepts are linked. Emissions are related to the output of polluting substances to the atmosphere from any source. Immission, constitutes what is known as “air quality”, the concentration of pollutants at ground level that can affect people, animals, vegetation or materials.
What is the estimated lifetime of the gas sensors? Also, what is your recommendation for sensor evaluation intervals during a measurement campaign/project?
The estimated lifetime of gas cartridges is 24 months, except for CO2 which is 7 years and VOC which is 10.000 hours. Our recommendation to perform measurement campaigns is from 2-4 weeks.
What are the measures taken for example by the Cement/Mining companies, after they get the results of Kunak measuring?
Data measurements belong to the customers, so we are not authorized to disclose this information but most of our customers in mining and cement plants are satisfied with the equipment, data performance and cloud functionalities, especially because they can operate easily their networks and have reliable measurements.
How do you deal with industries that want total privacy for their data?
Our terms and conditions are collected in the SaaS agreement indicating that we are not allowed to use customers’ data. According to this SaaS agreement, which is available in Kunak AIR Cloud too, the owner of all this data is the customer, therefore Kunak is not allowed to use it, share it, promote it, sell it, etc. Additionally, as we use Amazon web services, they have cybersecurity protocols for the encryption of the data. Finally, if customers consider it necessary, Kunak always commits to signing an NDA prior to starting any project.
Could you describe the chosen solution for a few of the applications, e.g. the number of sensors and target gases etc?
- Parameters for Mining: Particulate Matter (PM10, PM4, PM2.5 and PM1), NO2, SO2, CO and O3 – Take a look at a case study in a coal mine in the following link
- Parameters for WWTP: H2S, sometimes it is interesting for the customers to monitor VOC too – Take a look at a case study in a wastewater treatment plant in the following link
Petrol companies are interested in using it for detecting critical gas levels to prevent big accidents. Is it possible?
Yes, oil & gas companies have a strong interest in detecting leakages for example, so it’s possible for Kunak devices to help them detect critical gas levels of H2S, SO2, VOC, etc. Nevertheless, depending on the processes where they want to monitor pollution, they might require other pollutants that are not available yet for sensor-based instruments like BTEX, HC, etc.
Is the US EPA a governmental organisation?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is attached to the United States federal government and acts as an independent agency for conducting environmental assessment, research, and education. US EPA is a relevant evaluator of sensor-based technology. In fact, they have released this year, an interesting Air Sensor Guidebook, to help those interested in using sensors to collect air quality measurements and interpret sensor data.
Some sensors need to have other measurements to compensate for interferences (like SO2 which needs NO2 and O3). How can we manage that since we only have 5 cartridge slots?
According to Kunak’s experience and customer projects, most of them require monitoring 5 gases + PM, which is the most important to be measured. For example, oil & gas companies, during exploration activities, are interested in monitoring the ambient air, which is NO, NO2, O3, SO2, CO + PM so not necessary to add another pollutant. In other phases of their processes, requiring for example VOCs or H2S, they only would have to unplug one or two of the existing cartridges (CO or NO) by plugging the new ones. We only have integrated CO2 as pollutant Nº 6 via Modbus, but it was a very specific requirement.
In Kazakhstan, we have a harsh continental climate, and the country ranks 9th in the world in terms of territory. In the Northern part during winter, the temperature can stably be -35/-40 Celsius, while in the Southern part in summer, it can reach +35/+40 Celsius. How stable will the measurements be?
Kunak Instruments have been deployed in Antarctica and Nordic countries, working perfectly in extremely cold conditions (in fact, sensor-based technology works better in the presence of cold temperatures). The issue is with high temperatures and high relative humidity, which is a limitation of all sensor-based manufacturers.
However, Kunak has released this year a new algorithm that corrects the effect of high temperatures, when reaching +45º as well as humidity transients. This is not a perfect correction, but it reduces a lot the error at high temperatures. Besides, Kunak AIR Cloud it’s smart enough to let knows the operator about the temperature and humidity sensors’ limits, by invalidating the measurements (because they will have more errors) and sending notifications in real-time.
