Number of air conditioning systems growing worldwide

This European Union (EU) regulation is a major challenge for all concerned, as the number of air conditioning systems in buildings is constantly increasing around the world. Cooling is also used in other areas. Which car still rolls off the production line today without an air conditioning system? Then there are the cooling systems in industrial plants and data centers, which would come to a standstill without cooling. "In our regions, there is also an increasing trend towards heat pump heating systems, as they are more efficient than fossil heating systems that work with gas or oil," says Eduard Schäfer, Head of the Sensor Department at Düsseldorf-based Unitronic. "The actual working principle is the refrigeration cycle, identical to that of cooling systems. With heat pumps, only the process is reversed." The heat is extracted from the environment by expanding cooling gas and raised to the higher temperature level by means of a compressor (heat pump). This is then the heat source for heating systems. Regardless of which process is used, environmentally harmful F-gases are always used.

Check the density of the systems

In systems that work with cooling gases, there is always the possibility that certain areas of the system will leak and the harmful environmental gases will escape. These are generally non-toxic and therefore harmless to humans. The damage to the environment, on the other hand, can be very high - especially in large systems. For this reason, their operators are also obliged to carry out regular safety checks. The systems must be checked at specified intervals in order to detect possible weak points from which gas can escape and harm the environment. Sensors are used for these measurement processes to "sniff out" leaks.

The new EU regulation on F-gases now aims to encourage manufacturers to use gases with low GWP values in future in order to protect the environment. However, these gases also have a catch, as many of them are either flammable or toxic. The hazard potential is high, which is why system manufacturers are required to take the necessary safety measures when manufacturing their products. The systems must be designed and constructed in accordance with the applicable regulations. Continuous and careful inspections are also mandatory here. The slightest weak point can lead to the gases igniting or people being poisoned. Careful safety precautions are therefore crucial in this environment.

Gas sensors simplify control

Gas sensors that are specially designed to meet the requirements of this environment are also needed to check the less environmentally harmful gases. Unitronic sells solutions for this application scenario that are developed and produced by Figaro Engineering. The TGS 2630, for example, is a low-cost basic model that is well suited to the requirements described. The semiconductor gas sensor element is also the basis for the pre-calibrated FCM 2630 module from the Japanese gas sensor manufacturer.

The basic model reacts extremely sensitively to highly flammable refrigerant gases such as R32 and R1234yf, as well as to R-404a and R-410a, which are still commonly used in conventional air conditioning and refrigeration systems. The TGS2630 enables customers to equip each sensor themselves with individual signal processing and the corresponding electronics. With this product, customers can also configure the sensor for the desired application and calibrate it themselves, allowing them to flexibly determine the sensor's field of application.