Model analysis of the sensitivity of single-point sensor and IRFPA detectors used in gas leakage detection

Serious accident caused by hazardous gas leakage is a threat to the safety of people and community. So detecting gas leakage, locating leaking source and evaluating spreading tendency effectively is of great importance to avoid these accidents. Different from the single-point sensor which detects gas leakage relying on the gas diffusion, infrared imaging system is based on Infrared Focal Plane Array (IRFPA) to find the potential leaking source. There are differences in sensitivity and operational principle between these two kinds of detection methods. Thus, according to the simulation result about the actual sensitivities of these two kinds of detectors under common condition based on fluid dynamics software, namely FLUENT, the pros and cons of their applications were summarized. Besides, it was pointed out that IRFPA had advantages on response speed and actual sensitivity, which meant a lot to the application of infrared imaging gas leakage detection.