VOC Gas Detection

VOC Gas Detection is very important for many reasons, including personnel safety, industrial hygiene, manufacturing efficiency, and environmental monitoring. Organic compounds are present throughout any natural setting, often in gaseous form, and can represent significant safety hazards because of their potential for explosion, fire or asphyxiation. Thus accurate VOC Gas Detection is critically important. Fortunately there are a range of instruments which can detect their presence and measure their concentration.

What are some common dangerous VOCs and where are they found?
Benzene is very common in the energy industry and is flammable, explosive and carcinogenic. Methane is the major component of natural gas, and very explosive, but is also found wherever organic materials are decomposing such as a land fill or in underground sites.

Can the instruments detect individual gasses?
Some instruments, such as PID Detectors and Flame Ionization Gas Detectors measure the total amount of all VOC present, while a gas chromatograph can identify the specific gas as well as measure the amount of it present.

How accurately can VOC Gas Detection be done?
These instruments can measure over a range from a few parts per billion to thousands of parts per million.

Is Benzene detection difficult?
Benzene can be detected with a photoionization detector, a flame ionization detector, or a gas chromatograph.

Is Methane detection difficult?
Methane cannot be detected with a photoionization detector, but can be detected by a flame ionization detector (total VOC monitoring).

Does Photovac provide products for VOC Gas Detection?
Photovac offers a wide range of products  for VOC monitoring including several photo ionization detectors, hand held flame ionization detectors, and portable gas chromatographs.

Are these units safe to use in hazardous environments?
Many of the Photovac products are certified as being intrinsically safe for use in the hostile environment where explosive gases may be present.

How long will a fully charged unit work?
All fully charged Photovac VOC Gas Detetors will operate for at least eight hours.

How reliable are the instruments?
If they are properly maintained the instruments are very reliable and accurate in a variety of environmental conditions including high humidity.

Does Photovac provide a warranty on the units?
Photovac provides a one year warranty on all of its products for defects in material or workmanship.

If you would like more information on Gas Detection of VOCs, please see the following pages:

For other applications, please see the following:

Hand Held Photoionization Detector
Hand Held Benzene Detector
Siloxane Detection