A microcontroller based gas leakage detection and evacuation system

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is a major fuel for cooking in Nigeria. LPG is dispensed into cylinders which are in various sizes and storage capacities. Multiple cases of household fires, injuries and fatalities due to LPG leakage and explosion have been recorded in Nigeria. This undesirable trend persists majorly because households in Nigeria don't have gas leakage detection systems, and at best only smoke detectors are available in selected high class homes. The proactive safety approach is to detect gas leakage and evacuate the gas before it is ignited. In this study, a model gas leakage detector and evacuation system are presented. The implemented, microcontroller-based system, activates a buzzer when a gas leak is detected, it shuts the gas supply solenoid valve to stop the gas flow, and also, it evacuates the gas by switching on evacuator fans. To ensure that the house occupant is adequately notified when there is a gas leakage; the system sends a text via short message service (SMS) to a stored mobile number. The status of the system can be remotely determined by the user, by sending codes to prompt the device via SMS. (paper)