• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • MARKETS & PRODUCTS
    • Markets


      Construction

      Cybersecurity

      Fixed Gas & Flame Detection

      General Industry

      Healthcare

      HVAC-R

      Oil & Gas

      Training

      Utilities

      Products


      Combustion Analysis

      Confined Space

      Connected Work

      Corporate

      Fall Protection

      Fixed Gas & Flame Detection

      Gas Analysis

      General

      Head Protection

      Heat Stress

      Leak Detection

      Portable Gas Detection

      Refrigerant Analysis

      Respiratory Protection

      Column
  • SUBSCRIBE

How to Combat Calibration Drift in Gas Sensors

2 Min Read | Sep 11, 2023

Reading Time: 2 minutesCalibration drift refers to the gradual shift in the accuracy and reliability of a detector’s measurement of gas concentrations over time. Fixed gas detectors play a pivotal role in safety, as they monitor the presence of hazardous gases in various environments, including industrial settings, laboratories, and confined spaces. Calibration is a critical aspect of ensuring that a gas detector functions correctly and provides accurate readings.

September 11, 2023 by Melina Mangino

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Calibration drift refers to the gradual shift in the accuracy and reliability of a detector’s measurement of gas concentrations over time. Fixed gas detectors play a pivotal role in safety, as they monitor the presence of hazardous gases in various environments, including industrial settings, laboratories, and confined spaces. Calibration is a critical aspect of ensuring that a gas detector functions correctly and provides accurate readings.

Several factors specific to gas detectors can contribute to calibration drift:

  1. Sensor Degradation: Gas detectors typically employ sensors that are sensitive to specific gases. Over time, these sensors can degrade or become less responsive, leading to inaccurate gas concentration readings.
  2. Contaminants: Exposure to certain gases or contaminants in the environment can affect the sensors’ performance. This can result in drift as the sensors’ responses to target gases are altered.
  3. Environmental Conditions: Temperature, humidity, and pressure can influence the accuracy of gas detectors. Fluctuations in these conditions can lead to shifts in calibration.
  4. Gas Exposure: The detector’s exposure to high concentrations of the target gas or other interfering gases can impact its calibration. Extended exposure to high gas levels can damage the sensors or cause them to drift.
  5. Wear and Tear: The physical components of a gas detector, such as the housing, filters, and connectors, can deteriorate over time. This wear and tear can affect the instrument’s overall performance and calibration.

To address calibration drift, routine calibration and maintenance are essential for gas detectors. This involves:

  1. Regular Calibration Checks: Gas detectors should be calibrated at specified intervals, typically in accordance with manufacturer recommendations and industry standards. During calibration, the detector is exposed to known concentrations of gases to ensure its measurements are accurate.
  2. Sensor Replacement: If sensors degrade significantly or no longer provide reliable readings, they may need to be replaced. Sensor replacement is a common maintenance task to combat calibration drift.
  3. Environmental Monitoring: Monitoring and controlling the environmental conditions in which the gas detector operates can help minimize drift. This may involve placing the detector in a controlled environment or implementing compensation algorithms to account for environmental effects.
  4. Proper Handling: Ensuring that the gas detector is used correctly and not exposed to excessive gas concentrations can help prolong its accuracy.
  5. Record Keeping: Maintaining detailed records of calibration dates and results is crucial for tracking the instrument’s performance over time and identifying trends in calibration drift.

MSA’s TruCal® sensors represent a major advancement in combating calibration drift for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon monoxide (CO) gases. These sensors, built with advanced materials and technology, enhance stability and reliability by minimizing the effects of environmental factors and gas exposure. TruCal eliminates the need for regularly scheduled calibrations by using Adaptive Environmental Compensation (AEC).

AEC tests the sensor every six hours and adjusts sensor response to account for changes in sensor response due to environmental conditions and sensor degradation. Sensors will perform within stated performance specification for up to two years without manual calibration. This translates to longer sensor life and less frequent calibration needs, saving users valuable time and resources.

MSA’s dedication to advancing sensor technology underscores our commitment to delivering accurate and safe gas detection solutions, even in the presence of calibration drift challenges. Download our TruCal whitepaper to learn more about this breakthrough technology.

Recommended for You

Fixed Gas & Flame Detection

UV/IR vs MSIR Flame Technology

September 9, 2024
2 Min Read
Senscient ELDS
Fixed Gas & Flame Detection

Ethylene Gas Leak Detection

August 9, 2024
2 Min Read
Anhydrous Ammonia Tank
Fixed Gas & Flame Detection

Are You Prepared for Ammonia Gas Leaks

January 22, 2024
5 Min Read
Fixed Gas & Flame Detection

In the Know: Navigating the Hazards of Methane Gas Leaks

February 12, 2024
4 Min Read
Share:

Footer

MSA MISSION: That men and women may work in safety and that they, their families, and their communities may live in health throughout the world.

MSASafety.com

  • Construction
  • General Industry
  • Oil & Gas
  • HVAC-R
  • Utilities
  • Fixed Gas & Flame Detection
  • Fire Service
MSA on Facebook   MSA on X   MSA on Instagram   MSA on LinkedIn   MSA on YouTube  

Contact

  • blog@msasafety.com
  • 1-800-672-2222
  • View All Contact Info
  • Subscribe

Other MSA Blogs

  • Fire Service – The Scene
  • FieldServer – The Safety Connection

© 2024 MSA. All rights reserved.

© 2025 MSA . All rights reserved.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT