Semiconductor Detector for Gas Leakages from a Main Line without Digging Ground

A chromatographic semiconductor detector was developed for an instrument designed for finding main-line gas leaks without digging. The sensing element of the detector is an adsorption semiconductor sensor based on tin dioxide doped with antimony and containing palladium additives. The optimum operation conditions of the sensor as a chromatographic detector were determined. The detector was highly sensitive to hydrocarbons (to 0.5 ppm in terms of CH₄). The stability of the developed detectors was examined.