​R.C. Systems Combustible Gas Detectors feature both the Catalytic Bead and Infrared Sensors.

Catalytic Bead Sensors

The Catalytic Bead ("catbead" or "pellistor") sensor consist of a "reference bead" and an "analytic bead" wired into a Wheatstone bridge circuit. Catbeads burn a small amount of gas on the analytic bead which causes it to get hotter, increasing the resistance and voltage drop which creates an imbalance of the bridge circuit proportional to concentration.

Infrared Gas Sensors

The Infrared (IR) Sensor utilizes band pass filters to pass an analytical and a reference wavelength of IR light through a volume of the gas. The measurement is possible because some target gases absorb very specific wavelengths of IR light. Both the reference and analytical wavelengths are passed through the gas measuring path and reflected back onto the IR detectors. The presence of target gas will reduce the intensity of the analytical beam but not the reference beam similar to the way smoke affects visible light. The reference detector monitors the intensity of the two infrared sources and automatically compensates for loss of signal due to dirty optics or source aging.

Learn More About the Combustible Gases our Sensors Detect

 
Acetylene
detection information
Acetone
detection information
Ammonia
detection information
Butane
detection information
Ethane
detection information
Ethanol
detection information
Ethylene
detection information
Ethylene Oxide
detection information
Gasoline
detection information
Heptane
detection information
Hexane
detection information
Hydrogen (catalytic bead only)
detection information
Isopropyl Alcohol
detection information
Methane
detection information
Methanol
detection information
Pentane
detection information
Propane
detection information
Propylene
detection information
Refrigerant
detection information
Styrene
detection information
          Vinyl Chloride             
detection information