European customer chooses the Acoem Serinus 60 gas analyser based on more than just product excellence

16 Jan 2019

Why choose an Acoem direct NO₂ gas analyser over another brand? For one Dutch authority,
it was Acoem’s reputation, past performance in a research context, and user-friendly manuals that won them over.

Being an innovative market leader is important, but government agencies, researchers and industries that are committed to monitoring air quality are after more than just a quick fix.

They want to be assured that the product has been tested in similar applications, that the equipment will fit their exact needs and that they won’t need overly complicated training and technical manuals to operate it.

They also expect knowledgeable distributors, not just salespeople, and the guarantee that their equipment will be maintained and serviced by product experts.

Distributors who understand their customers’ needs

A recent example of what sets Acoem apart from other manufacturers comes from the BeNeLux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) region.

Long-time Belgium-based Acoem distributor and environmental equipment specialist, European Tech Serv (ETS) has been providing various monitoring instruments to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut – KNMI) for several years.

As the Dutch national forecasting service, KNMI is responsible for weather forecasting and monitoring of climate change and seismic activity from its headquarters in Utrecht, Netherlands.

KNMI was in need of an analyser that could directly measure vertical profiles of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) with high time resolution. Accurate in-situ measurements were necessary as a reference to calibrate their own lightweight NO₂ sensor – which was mounted on a weather balloon – to validate air pollution satellite measurements from space.

Acoem’s respected reputation in the research sector

After speaking with the expert team at ETS, KNMI decided to undertake its own research and found a scientific paper detailing the role that Serinus^™ 60 had played in a ground-breaking maritime air quality and climate change project in the Arabian Basin (AQABA) in 2017.

The AQABA project assembled a dedicated international team to conduct critical research into the effects of air pollution in the region. Drones were deployed from the research vessel to collect data on the vertical structure of the lower troposphere, simultaneously characterising photochemical and aerosol processes.

KNMI reached out to the author of the paper to gauge their opinion on the Serinus^™ 60 and Acoem as a company.

Current European Union (EU) standards for reference quality NO₂ monitoring are based on older chemiluminescence technology (like that used by Acoem Serinus^™ 40)

The EU has yet to adopt new regulations that factor in newer technology like Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift (CAPS) spectroscopy, the basis of the Serinus^™ 60. CAPS technology allows direct measurement of NO₂, rather than an indirect calculation from a chemiluminescence analyser.

The Serinus^™ 60 has yet to gain EU accreditation, however KNMI recognised that it was in fact the best instrument to meet its needs.

Learn more about the Serinus^™ 60 Direct Nitrogen Dioxide Analyser