Carbon Dioxide (CO²) Sensor for iSensor & iAccess Controllers

In a data centre, managing air quality and environmental conditions is critical. A carbon dioxide (CO²) sensor constantly monitors air quality. Rising CO² levels warn operators: air is stale, or ventilation is failing.

Here is the process:

• The sensor uses Non-Dispersive Infrared (NDIR) light to count CO² molecules.
• It converts these counts into an electrical signal.
• The building control system instantly reads this signal.
• The system acts fast. It boosts ventilation or alerts staff immediately.
• Operators use this historical data to optimise airflow. This step reduces energy waste and stabilises the entire environment.

By knowing the exact CO² concentration, your data centre avoids overheating, manages humidity, and efficiently controls fresh-air intake. The sensor also uses the Wells-Riley model to assess infection risk.

A CO² sensor does more than just track air quality. It actively improves your environment and operations in several keyways:

• Smart Ventilation: Use Carbon Dioxide readings to adjust airflow dynamically, reducing waste and improving efficiency.
• Cut Energy Costs: Don’t waste power on constant full ventilation. Adjust your systems based on real CO² needs, only when necessary.
• Prevent Hotspots: High CO² often signals poor airflow. Detecting it helps you spot and fix airflow issues early.
• Meet Safety Standards: Ensure healthy air for everyone. Carbon Dioxide monitoring helps you meet safety regulations and health guidelines.
• Predictive Maintenance: Watch CO² trends over time. This helps you anticipate when ventilation or filters need attention, preventing breakdowns.
• Make Informed Choices: Use sensor data to guide improvements. Back your decisions for upgrades or system changes with solid facts.
• Infection Risk Protection: The sensor uses the Wells-Riley model to measure the risk of airborne infections.

The iSensor CO² sensor tracks Carbon Dioxide levels. It also accurately monitors temperature and humidity. Tracking these key metrics helps detect early problems. It spots signs of overheating, moisture build-up, and other environmental shifts. These issues can impact your IT equipment’s performance, reliability, and lifespan.

You install the Carbon Dioxide iSensor using a CAT5/6 Ethernet cable. This setup is similar to the standard Temperature/Humidity sensor. You can place the iSensor up to 500 meters from an iAccess or iSensor Controller.

Monitoring all environmental conditions gives you a complete picture of your data centre. This includes tracking air particles. A full view lets you react quickly when conditions change.

Our advanced  CO² sensor does more than just measure gas levels; it actively evaluates air quality to estimate the real-time risk of airborne infection. By transforming raw data into actionable safety insights, you can protect personnel in even the most confined spaces.

To provide accurate safety data, the system utilises the Wells-Riley model. This proven mathematical framework assesses the probability of airborne disease transmission in shared indoor environments.The model calculates infection probability using several critical factors:

• Pathogen Exposure: The presence of airborne pathogens in a confined space.
• Ventilation Rates: How efficiently fresh air replaces contaminated air.
• CO² Levels: Used as a proxy to track air staleness and breath accumulation.

Our sensor integrates CO² data with ventilation rates and a disease-specific “dose-response constant.” This constant represents the likelihood of infection per unit of exposure. This can be tailored to address specific threats, such as COVID-19, Influenza or other airborne pathogens.

This is particularly critical in small communications rooms, where air conditioning and ventilation systems are often less robust than those found in full-scale data centres.

1. Choose the right location — ideally where air circulates but away from direct airflow (vents) to get accurate readings.
2. Mount securely: use the internal magnet to secure to the rack or metal object. Alternatively use other mounting methods as recommended by the manufacturer.
3. Connect to a sensor port on the iAccess or iSensor Controller. The data can be managed via the on-board webserver or connected to your DCIM (Data Centre Infrastructure Management) or BMS (Building Management System.
4. Once connected configure desired thresholds. If these are breached alerts will be issued.