Carbon dioxide sensor

Not to be confused with Carbon monoxide sensor.

A carbon dioxide sensor or CO₂ sensor is an instrument for the measurement of carbon dioxide gas. The most common principles for CO₂ sensors are infrared gas sensors (NDIR) and chemical gas sensors. Measuring carbon dioxide is important in monitoring indoor air quality,^[1] the function of the lungs in the form of a capnograph device, and many industrial processes.

Nondispersive infrared (NDIR) CO₂ sensors

 

CO₂ concentration meter using a nondispersive infrared sensor

Main article: Nondispersive infrared sensor

See also: Capnography

NDIR sensors are spectroscopic sensors to detect CO₂ in a gaseous environment by its characteristic absorption. The key components are an infrared source, a light tube, an interference (wavelength) filter, and an infrared detector. The gas is pumped or diffuses into the light tube, and the electronics measure the absorption of the characteristic wavelength of light. NDIR sensors are most often used for measuring carbon dioxide.^[2] The best of these have sensitivities of 20–50 PPM.^[2] Typical NDIR sensors cost in the (US) $100 to $1000 range.

NDIR CO₂ sensors are also used for dissolved CO₂ for applications such as beverage carbonation, pharmaceutical fermentation and CO₂ sequestration applications. In this case they are mated to an ATR (attenuated total reflection) optic and measure the gas in situ. New developments include using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) IR sources to bring down the costs of this sensor and to create smaller devices (for example for use in air conditioning applications).^[3]

Another method (Henry's Law) also can be used to measure the amount of dissolved CO₂ in a liquid, if the amount of foreign gases is insignificant.^{[further explanation needed]}

Photoacoustic sensors

CO₂ can be measured using photoacoustic spectroscopy. Concentration of CO₂ can be measured by subjecting a sample to pulses of electromagnetic energy (such as from a distributed feedback laser^[4]) that is tuned specifically to the absorption wavelength of CO₂. With each pulse of energy, the CO₂ molecules within the sample will absorb and generate pressure waves via the photoacoustic effect. These pressure waves are then detected with an acoustic detector and converted to a usable CO₂ reading through a computer or microprocessor.^[5]

Chemical CO₂ sensors

Chemical CO₂ gas sensors with sensitive layers based on polymer- or heteropolysiloxane have the principal advantage of very low energy consumption, and that they can be reduced in size to fit into microelectronic-based systems. On the downside, short and long term drift effects, as well as a rather low overall lifetime, are major obstacles when compared with the NDIR measurement principle.^[6] Most CO₂ sensors are fully calibrated prior to shipping from the factory. Over time, the zero point of the sensor needs to be calibrated to maintain the long term stability of the sensor.^[7]

Estimated CO₂ sensor

For indoor environments such as offices or gyms where the principal source of CO₂ is human respiration, rescaling some easier-to-measure quantities such as volatile organic compound (VOC) and hydrogen gas (H₂) concentrations provides a good-enough estimator of the real CO₂ concentration for ventilation and occupancy purposes.^{[citation needed]} Furthermore, inasmuch as ventilation is a factor in the spread of respiratory viruses,^[8] CO₂ levels are a rough metric for COVID-19 risk; the worse the ventilation, the better for viruses and vice versa.^[9][10] Sensors for these substances can be made using cheap (~$20) Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) technology. The reading they generate is called estimated CO₂ (eCO₂)^[11] or CO₂ equivalent (CO₂eq).^[12] Although the readings tend to be good enough in the long run, introducing non-respiration sources of VOC or CO₂, such as peeling fruits or using perfume, will undermine their reliability. H₂-based sensors are less susceptible as they are more specific to human breathing, although the very health conditions the hydrogen breath test is set to diagnose will also disrupt them.^[12]

Applications

• Examples:
  • Modified atmospheres
  • Indoor air quality
  • Stowaway detection
  • Cellar and gas stores
  • Marine vessels
  • Greenhouses
  • Landfill gas
  • Confined spaces
  • Aerospace
  • Healthcare
  • Horticulture
  • Transportation
  • Cryogenics
  • Ventilation management
  • Mining
  • Rebreathers (SCUBA)
  • Decaffeination
• For indoor human occupancy counting^[13][14]
• For HVAC applications, CO₂ sensors can be used to monitor the quality of air and the tailored need for fresh air, respectively. Measuring CO₂ levels indirectly determines how many people are in a room, and ventilation can be adjusted accordingly. See demand controlled ventilation (DCV).^[15]

See also

• Exhaust gas analyzer
• Oxygen sensor
• Gas detector
• Colorimetric capnography

References

1. Kampezidou, S. I.; Tikayat Ray, A.; Duncan, S.; Balchanos, M.G.; Mavris, D.N. (2021-01-07). "Real-time occupancy detection with physics-informed pattern-recognition machines based on limited CO2 and temperature sensors". Elsevier Energy and Buildings. 242: 110863. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.110863. ISSN 0378-7788. S2CID 233831299.
2. Carbonate Based CO₂ Sensors with High Performance, Th. Lang, H.-D. Wiemhöfer and W. Göpel, Conf.Proc.Eurosensors IX, Stockholm (S) (1995); Sensors and Actuators B, 34, 1996, 383–387.
3. Vincent, T.A.; Gardner, J.W. (November 2016). "A low cost MEMS based NDIR system for the monitoring of carbon dioxide in breath analysis at ppm levels". Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. 236: 954–964. doi:10.1016/j.snb.2016.04.016.
4. Zakaria, Ryadh (March 2010). NDIR INSTRUMENTATION DESIGN FOR CO₂ GAS SENSING (PhD). pp. 35–36.
5. AG, Infineon Technologies. "CO₂ Sensors - Infineon Technologies". www.infineon.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
6. Reliable CO₂ Sensors Based with Silicon-based Polymers on Quartz Microbalance Transducers, R. Zhou, S. Vaihinger, K.E. Geckeler, and W. Göpel, Conf.Proc.Eurosensors VII, Budapest (H) (1993); Sensors and Actuators B, 18–19, 1994, 415–420.
7. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
8. Moriyama, Miyu; Hugentobler, Walter J.; Iwasaki, Akiko (29 September 2020). "Seasonality of Respiratory Viral Infections". Annual Review of Virology. 7 (1): 83–101. doi:10.1146/annurev-virology-012420-022445. S2CID 214601321.
9. Peng, Zhe; Jimenez, Jose L. (11 May 2021). "Exhaled CO 2 as a COVID-19 Infection Risk Proxy for Different Indoor Environments and Activities". Environmental Science & Technology Letters. 8 (5): 392–397. doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00183. PMC 8043197.
10. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210407143809.html^{[bare URL]}
11. Rüffer, D; Hoehne, F; Bühler, J (31 March 2018). "New Digital Metal-Oxide (MOx) Sensor Platform". Sensors (Basel, Switzerland). 18 (4): 1052. Bibcode:2018Senso..18.1052.. doi:10.3390/s18041052. PMC 5948493. PMID 29614746.
12. Herberger S, Herold M, Ulmer H (2009). "MOS gas sensor technology for demand controlled ventilation" (PDF). Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Building and Ductwork Air Tightness and 30th AIVC Conference on Trends in High Performance Buildings and the Role of Ventilation. Berlin.
13. Arief-Ang, I.B.; Hamilton, M.; Salim, F. (2018-06-01). "RUP: Large Room Utilisation Prediction with carbon dioxide sensor". Pervasive and Mobile Computing. 46: 49–72. doi:10.1016/j.pmcj.2018.03.001. ISSN 1873-1589. S2CID 13670861.
14. Arief-Ang, I.B.; Salim, F.D.; Hamilton, M. (2018-04-14). Data Mining [SD-HOC: Seasonal Decomposition Algorithm for Mining Lagged Time Series]. Springer, Singapore. pp. 125–143. doi:10.1007/978-981-13-0292-3_8. ISBN 978-981-13-0291-6.
15. KMC Controls. (2013). Demand Control Ventilation Benefits for Your Building. Retrieved 25 March 2013, from http://www.kmccontrols.com/docs/DCV_Benefits_White_Paper_KMC_RevB.pdf 2014-06-27 at the Wayback Machine