The Necessity of Calibration for Gas Detectors
The performance and quality of gas detection alarms are directly linked to the personal safety of all on-site staff and serve as one of the guarantees for safe production. Therefore, adopting scientific and reasonable testing methods for different gas detectors is a crucial measure to ensure personal safety, property security and operational safety.
Calibration of gas detectors mainly targets their sensors. A common fault of catalytic sensors is performance degradation resulting from contact with specific toxic substances. Accordingly, it is essential to calibrate instruments not only during the installation of gas monitoring systems, but also to conduct periodic inspections and recalibrate when required. Inspections must be carried out with accurately calibrated standard gas mixtures so that the zero point and span levels can be set correctly on the controller.
Some instruments have a built-in calibration cycle. Once the service time exceeds the preset cycle, the device will trigger an alarm or display a fault prompt, which necessitates recalibration. For example, users have reported that the Draeger X-am 2500 multi-gas detector consistently shows a reading of -2 for carbon monoxide after a period of operation, and recalibration is required in such cases.
Effective calibration procedures may vary slightly across different brands and models. The most reliable approach is to follow the official operation manual of the specific device. A widely used and cost-effective method involves two operators working together for inspection and calibration: one person exposes the sensor to the gas flow of the standard span gas, while the other operates the control unit. The controller is first set to zero, then the span potentiometer is adjusted until the displayed reading fully matches the known concentration of the standard gas mixture. If the issue persists after self-operation, professional guidance from technical personnel specializing in gas detectors should be sought.
