A novel embedded system for better detection of perilous gases

Abstract

Gas leakage is a major problem in industrial sectors, residential premises, and gas-powered vehicles such as compressed natural gas (CNG) cars. The gas detection kits are used to detect the gas leakage at vulnerable places to prevent accidents due to harmful gases. Studies show that modern embedded systems have potential to detect gases and alert people. Various sensors are used (in the embedded systems) to detect various harmful gases. However, most commercially available systems can detect only one gas. The aim of this paper is to introduce an embedded system that can detect various perilous gases and automatically alert about gas leakage in vulnerable premises as needed. The experimental gas leakage system consists of a Carbon Dioxide (CO2) sensor, Carbon Monoxide (CO) sensor, temperature sensor, microcontroller, air conditioner, and a buzzer. The use of temperature sensor is not just confined to detect the temperature but it is used to control the heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) applications inside the residential premises. According to preliminary experiments, the proposed system can detect both CO and CO2 with up to 98% accuracy, control HVAC applications, and alert people in case of a gas leakage. Comparing with two similar contemporary systems, the proposed system offers more and better useful features such as detecting multiple gases, displaying messages, and triggering alarm system.