New A2L refrigerant sensor technology comes to Europe
3rd October 2020
USA/UK: NevadaNano Systems, a US manufacturer of refrigerant leak detection technology, has established a European base in the UK and a distribution partnership with Düsseldorf-based components distributor Unitronic GmbH.
The EMEA office, based near Chester, is headed by Gary Collins, general manager, EMEA. Collins has broad experience, including four years at gas detection company Tyco as EMEA regional director, a spell as senior sales manager for Rolls Royce software division OSySand and as director of international operations for Honeywell’s instrumentation division.
Unitronic will represent NevadaNano in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
NevadaNano develops and manufactures microelectro mechanical systems (MEMS)-based sensor modules and subsystems for a diverse array of commercial and government applications.
Its patented Molecular Property Spectrometer (MPS) measures and classifies a wide range of combustible gases, including A2L refrigerants and other flammable gases, and reports the potential to cause harm virtually instantaneously.
The company holds exclusive licenses for 43 inventions and 24 patents for on-chip chemical analysis technology. It focuses on commercial applications, specifically, monitoring for flammable gas, new refrigerant leaks, methane leaks and indoor air quality.
Claimed to be the first new gas sensing technology to emerge in more than three decades, MPS was developed at the University of Nevada, Reno, and supported by DARPA, the DOD, and the Department of Homeland Security.
The most recent product release is the MPS A2L refrigerant gas sensors. They are available in two packaging options: A2L IS is safety certified and hardened for industrial applications; the A2L Mini has the same performance specs of its bigger brother but is specifically engineered for residential applications.
With their claims of accuracy and long-term stability, the MPS A2L sensors are said to deliver a lower cost of ownership than traditional catalytic bead and NDIR type sensors. The MPS A2L sensors prevent “false positive” alarms and will not “poison” or stop working when exposed to common household and industrial chemicals, it is said. In addition, the sensors need no calibration and have built-in environmental compensation T, RH and P.
