Mobile Device with IoT Capabilities for the Detection of R-32 and R-134a Refrigerants Using Infrared Sensors

Fluorinated greenhouse gases (FGGs) are classified as worldwide pollutants and have a high global warming potential compared to other greenhouse gases. Detecting the existence and concentration of new and older refrigerant gases is crucial for assessing system functionality and determining whether they can be recycled or need to be disposed of. Additional justifications for the necessity of quantitative measurements of these gases include the manufacturing of air conditioning components; leak detection is conducted to ensure they are free of leaks. Classical laboratory Fast Fourier transform spectrometers enable the detection and measurement of substances while being delicate, unwieldy, and costly, and typically requiring a skilled technician to operate them. For the estimation of refrigerants in the field, a portable, user-friendly, and cost-effective detection device must be deployed. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the categorization of refrigerant gases using an Internet of Things (IoT) gas detection device. The functionality in effectively differentiating between important refrigerant gases, like R-32 and R-134a, with low delay, is demonstrated through practical tests. With the portable device, this study utilizes Fourier-Transformed infrared spectra measured from the refrigerants R-32 and R-134a, collected using a custom-made 3D-printed tubular reactor equipped with two BaF2 windows, suitable for use in the beamline of a Bruker IR Spectrometer. Calibration was performed by exposing the infrared sensor to controlled gas environments with varying amounts of refrigerant gases using accurately produced gas mixtures. Following the on-field analysis of the reclaimed refrigerants, the obtained data was immediately processed, and both the data and the results were uploaded to an IoT platform, making them available to business-to-business (B2B) clients. The functionality of the device is demonstrated.