How to measure co2 levels in a room
Carbon dioxide is one of the main components in the air. It is an inorganic substance that is not flammable and does not support combustion. In the natural environment, the normal content of carbon dioxide in the air is 0.04% (400 ppm), and sometimes can reach 500 ppm in large cities. When no one is in the room, carbon dioxide concentrations are generally between 500 and 700 ppm. Carbon dioxide can accumulate in confined spaces, causing health and safety hazards. Carbon dioxide can displace or deplete oxygen, causing dizziness, confusion, shortness of breath, loss of consciousness, and even death from suffocation at unsafe concentration levels.
In the short term, excessive carbon dioxide concentration will not have much impact on the human body. But if we live and work in an environment with excessive carbon dioxide for a long time, it will cause great harm to the human body. Therefore, we need to know how to measure co2 levels in a room to understand the indoor carbon dioxide concentration in real time.
How to measure co2 levels in a room
There are two main types of commonly used carbon dioxide sensors, one is based on solid electrolytes, and the other is based on infrared principles. The principle of the solid-state electrolyte sensor is that the gas-sensitive material generates ions when passing through the gas, thereby forming an electromotive force, and the gas concentration is measured by measuring the electromotive force. Due to its high conductivity, high sensitivity and good selection properties, this sensor has been widely used. The principle of the infrared carbon dioxide sensor is based on the absorption effect of carbon dioxide on infrared radiation in a specific band, thereby weakening the radiation energy passing through the measurement chamber. The degree of attenuation depends on the measured CO2 content of the CO2 gas.
When is the indoor carbon dioxide concentration likely to exceed the standard?
The most common situation in life is that when doors and windows are closed, people’s natural breathing will produce a large amount of carbon dioxide. Taking the bedroom as an example, if two people sleep for 8 hours a night, without ventilation, the carbon dioxide concentration can rise to 4000ppm in one night. Many people will feel dizzy and drowsy after staying in an air-conditioned room for a long time. This may be due to excessive indoor carbon dioxide concentration. In addition, burning natural gas for cooking will consume a large amount of oxygen indoors and produce a large amount of carbon dioxide. You can observe these three situations, it is too easy to exceed the standard.
Carbon dioxide sensor applications
With the continuous progress of modern society, carbon dioxide sensors are widely used to optimize our production and life, such as monitoring the carbon dioxide content in agricultural greenhouses and providing timely ventilation to increase crop yields;
Monitoring carbon dioxide levels in mines to ensure worker safety.
In addition, the human body is very sensitive to increases in carbon dioxide in the air. Every 0.5% increase in carbon dioxide content will cause significant reactions in the human body.
In addition, CO2 is also an important element for plant photosynthesis. It can be said that without carbon dioxide, nature would have no vitality. Because of this, carbon dioxide is an essential parameter in plant experiments. This is why carbon dioxide sensors are used in agricultural greenhouses.
