P1AP.13 - Detection of volatile signature gases for electrical fires with semiconductor gas sensors

Event
17th International Meeting on Chemical Sensors - IMCS 2018
2018-07-15 - 2018-07-19
Vienna, Austria
Chapter
P-1 - Applications of Chemical Sensors
Author(s)
J. Yi, W. Chen, A. Yu - State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, Department of Safety Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui (China)
Pages
460 - 461
DOI
10.5162/IMCS2018/P1AP.13
ISBN
978-3-9816876-9-9
Price
free

Abstract

Electrical fires caused by over-heated PVC cables may be detected at the early stage by using proper gas detectors. Nevertheless, the composition of the gases released and thus the key components as fire signatures have not yet been determined. This work determined the compositions of the vapors emitted from several over-heated PVC cables, quantified the key components, and measured them as fire signatures with semiconductor gas sensors. Two major species ubiquitously present in the vapors of different cables were identified. These species were tested as possible fire signatures with commercial TGS chemiresistive gas sensors by using vapors of their standard chemicals. The sensor response to these species alone was very close to that to the cable vapors. Significantly enhanced response was obtained for SnO2 nanofiber gas sensors. These results demonstrate that these identified species can be considered as signature gases for electrical fires, and can be effectively detected with semiconductor gas sensors.

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