Refrigerant Gas Detection vs. Refrigerant Leak Detection

Gas detection for safety and regulatory compliance is often confused with the detection of refrigerant leaks that lead to performance loss and increased energy consumption. While the two are fundamentally looking for the same thing, in practice, they are quite different. We will explore how each type of detection system is set up, the capabilities of each type of system, and also how to optimize both to fit the needs of your facility or refrigeration plant.

Refrigerant gas detection focuses on compliance with local regulations to ensure safety of personnel. In Europe, that is the EN 378 regulation and the underlying EN regulations that feed into it that determine the type of detection system required and how it needs to be set up and maintained.

Leak detection on the other hand, is primarily focused on system and environmental performance as it is designed and configured to detect leaks orders of magnitude smaller than those of compliance-only systems (down to single digit PPM-levels). How these types of leak detection systems are set up and configured can be significantly different than gas detection systems.

We will explore the optimization of each and if it is possible to do both with one system. Often, fully optimizing gas and leak detection systems involves optimizing refrigeration system design, facility maintenance, and also data analysis over longer periods of time. With a better understanding of gas and leak detection, we can make improvements to current facilities and also design future installations which will be both safe personnel and the better for the environment.