Integration of Wireless Technology and Advancements in Gas Detector Technologies Is Set To Spur Gas Detector Market in Industrial Sector

Emergence of Industry 4.0 for real time process control and data monitoring is accelerating demand for smart gas detectors, which offer efficient process control. Gas detectors integrated with modern technologies such as wireless connectivity and artificial intelligence are likely to bring new opportunities for the market. Increasing demand for plant safety in oil and gas, mining and other industries coupled with growing concern for personnel safety worldwide has led to the growing deployment of these smart gas detectors. The gas detector market is gaining momentum in the mining sector due to their use of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and others. In the mining industry, gas detectors play a key role in safeguarding against accidents through release of toxic gases, vapors and hazardous substances in underground mines. The implementation of gas detectors integrated with technologies including Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) which allow for predictive maintenance applications such as for finding detectors which need repairs, analyze real-time data instantly, and send warnings to miners, has led to increased integration of smart gas detectors as field devices in the Industry 4.0 space. Companies such as Honeywell and ABB are deploying Gas detectors in their complete Industry 4.0 platform solutions due to the growing demand for these modules. With the rising mandates surrounding harmful emission monitoring and control, gas detectors which can serve a dual notification and process control function in the industry are facing significant adoption. The Gas Detector Market is forecast to reach $2.96 billion by 2025 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4% during the forecast period 2019-2025

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), almost 75% of methane emissions are produced through coal mining owing to which the EPA has mandated mining industries to use gas detectors. With this regulation, the methane emission reduced from 16% to 9% during 2015-2017, and this development has paved the way for use of gas detectors in mining industry. This detection of methane and greenhouse gases is particularly prevalent in the wastewater treatment industry. Methane emissions from wastewater treatment accounted for over 500 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2010 and are projected grew to 550 Million metric tons by 2019. This is projected to rise another 10% by 2030. With wastewater accounting for 5% of total non-CO2 equivalents of Greenhouse gases, However according to the EPA, full integration of gas detectors, aerobic treatment technology and Energy Efficient machinery in this industry, can reduce the total non-CO2 equivalents by 218 MtCO2e by 2030. With China, India and Nigeria, which account for over 55% of the total non-CO2 equivalent emissions in the wastewater industry in 2019, implementing regulations that mandate the deployment of Gas detectors and reduce the non-CO2 equivalent emissions significantly. This will also consequently drive the Gas detector market in wastewater treatment.

North America is leading the gas detector market in terms of revenue share, and held 28% share in 2018. In North America, the usage of gas detectors has been increasing in mines, especially coal mines, in order to reduce methane emissions.  In 2016, the U.S. faced nearly a 4-month-long gas leakage which discharged nearly 100,000 metric tons of methane from a ruptured well of Aliso Canyon storage facility in southern California. Incidents like these have led to an increase in adoption of gas detectors in most industries such as manufacturing, mining, and oil & gas as mining companies look to curtail such dangerous leakages. 

Recently, The Wisconsin Public Service Foundation provided $5m to government departments such as Woodruff Fire Department and other law enforcement agencies to procure gas detectors. The funds from government organizations is set to drive revenue growth for manufacturing companies. Additionally, there has been significant growth in R&D investments from manufacturers for development of products with increased operational efficiency and reduced costs. For instance, in 2019, ABB launched Ability™ mobile gas leak detection systems which can be mounted on drones and enables leak detection up to 1000 times faster than conventional gas detectors and in 2018, the company recorded a total expenditure of $2 billion for development of new products including gas detectors. This is anticipated to continue in the future, increasing the likeliness of development of effective gas detector equipment which can detect more number of gases simultaneously.

The major players in the Gas Detector Market include ABB, MSA Safety Inc, Ametek Inc, Honeywell International Inc, Emerson Electric Co, RIKEN KEIKI Co., Ltd, and others. These companies have been continuously focusing on R&D investments, acquisitions and partnership strategies to strengthen their portfolio of products. For instance, in 2019, MSA Safety Inc. acquired Sierra Monitor Corporation which is a provider of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). This acquisition will help MSA Safety Inc. in enhancing their product development through use of cloud technology and wireless connectivity.

Adoption of gas detectors due to stringent government regulations to monitor harmful gas effluents, greenhouse gas emissions in particular, is set to drive the deployment of gas detectors. In addition to this, intense competitive rivalry among manufacturers to introduce innovative products by using advanced technologies such as IIoT, AI, and wireless technology is positively impacting the gas detector market’s growth as end user industries are replacing gas detectors with newer models. North America dominates the gas detectors market as it has more number of mining industries. Growing preference for portable gas detectors integrated with AI technology is likely to increase demand for gas detectors in the mining and wastewater treatment industries during the forecast period as they can be easily carried by the workforce to any place of work.  

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