Argon Gas Detection in Insulated Glass

Although the approaches used to measure the gas content of insulated glazing units are quite different, the key with all three is passing either light or an electrical charge through the unit, and then measuring certain properties of the charge or light. At a recent insulated glass manufacturers’ meeting in Toronto, Dr. Hakim Elmahdy demonstrated a working prototype of his insulated glazing gas detection device. The Elmahdy device apparently measures the electrical potential at which a high voltage charge “jumps” across the unit, correlating this measurement to the electrical measurements of known gas concentrations. (Details of exactly how this device works are difficult to find, perhaps because further development of the Elmahdy device hinges upon a patent dispute.)

Another device—developed by Aerodyne Research of Billerica, Massachusetts, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy—uses a differential absorption technique and specific near-infrared wavelengths to evaluate the gas content of glass containment systems.