Realisation of a calorimetric gas sensor on polyimide foil for applications in aseptic food industry

A calorimetric gas sensor is presented for the monitoring of vapour-phase H2O2 at elevated temperature during sterilisation processes in aseptic food industry. The sensor was built up on a flexible polyimide foil (thickness: 25 mu m) that has been chosen due to its thermal stability and low thermal conductivity. The sensor set-up consists of two temperature-sensitive platinum thin-film resistances passivated by a layer of SU-8 photo resist and catalytically activated by manganese(IV) oxide. Instead of an active heating structure, the calorimetric sensor utilises the elevated temperature of the evaporated H2O2 aerosol. In an experimental test rig, the sensor has shown a sensitivity of 4.78 degrees C/(%, v/v) in a H2O2 concentration range of 0%, v/v to 8%, v/v. Furthermore, the sensor possesses the same, unchanged sensor signal even at varied medium temperatures between 210 degrees C and 270 degrees C of the gas stream. At flow rates of the gas stream from 8 m(3)/h to 12 m(3)/h, the sensor has shown only a slightly reduced sensitivity at a low flow rate of 8 m(3)/h. The sensor characterisation demonstrates the suitability of the calorimetric gas sensor for monitoring the efficiency of industrial sterilisation processes. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.