Gas Detection

Portable Gas Detection

Portable gas detection is crucial for detecting the presence of gases in an area or a room (for example, in confined spaces of ships) before or during the attendance of working staff. Portable gas detectors, also referred to as portable gas sniffers, detect the presence of combustible gas, toxic gas, or oxygen. Depending on the type and model, the gas detector could detect single or multiple gasses.

Types of detection

A portable gas detector which detects single gasses is called a single gas detector. A portable gas detector which detects multiple gases is called a multi gas detector. All portable gas detectors could be attached to the worker’s clothing or safety gear and need to be placed close to the breathing zone.

Single gas detector

A single gas detector is a detector that warns its user visually and by sound when reaching dangerous gas levels of one type of gas. This warning could be triggered by combustible gas, toxic gas, or oxygen. Single gas detection is available in a serviceable or a disposable version. The service type detector is a regular version that needs yearly service, just like the fixed gas detectors. What type of single gas detector should be selected depends on the type of gas that needs to be detected.

Multi gas detector

A multi gas detector is a portable gas detector which detects more than one gas. A personal multi gas detector can detect combustible and toxic gases, toxic and oxygen gases, or all at once. Multi gas detectors are available with 2, 3 or 4 gas sensors for portable gas detection. What type of detector should be chosen depends on the kinds of gases detected. That they measure more gasses does not imply that multi gas detectors are bigger than others. For example, the Riken Keiki GX-3R is the world’s smallest detector for portable gas detection.