New refrigerant gas detector targets non-classified environments

The latest refrigerant gas detector with infrared sensor and management via the advanced SENSE interface.

In the refrigeration sector, gas detection has traditionally been associated with ATEX-classified environments, stringent regulations and highly specialised instrumentation. However, many real-world applications — including machinery rooms, technical rooms, and areas housing chillers and heat pumps — are located in non-classified areas.

As Emanuele Barbieri, Sales Manager at Sensitron, explains: "The fact that a room is not ATEX-classified does not mean there is no risk. It means that the risk assessment does not result in an explosive atmosphere classification, but it does not rule out the possibility of refrigerant gas leaks. In commercial refrigeration and light industrial applications, sensors can therefore play a role both in safety and in efficient system management."This is the application area for Smart 3 Blizzard, Sensitron's new refrigerant gas detector with infrared sensor and management via the advanced SENSE interface. Introduced in autumn 2025, the detector is now available on the market.

Smart 3 Blizzard uses infrared technology, an area in which Sensitron has built up significant expertise over the years. The technology is based on a key principle: selectivity by gas family. The detector is specifically calibrated for the refrigerant or reference blend, helping to reduce interference and minimise false alarms.

One of Blizzard's key innovations is its communication interface. An integrated Wi-Fi module with an internal access point allows direct connection via smartphone or laptop, giving maintenance and commissioning operators access to key functions such as threshold configuration, relay activation, functional tests, calibration procedures, sensor status checks and test certificate export.

This approach eliminates the need for proprietary tools and specialised equipment typically required in classified areas. "In non-classified areas, using commonly available devices makes the system more accessible and user-friendly," says Barbieri. "The simplification concerns not the measurement function, but the human-machine interaction."

From 13–15 October, Sensitron will be exhibiting at Chillventa, in Nuremberg. Visitors are invited to discover Smart 3 Blizzard up close and experience its features firsthand.