An Arduino-Based Butane Leak Detection System With Automated Ventilation and Internet of Things (IoT) Mobile Application

Residential gas leaks remain a widespread household safety concern worldwide.These leaks can cause explosions, air pollution, and fires, which result from incomplete combustion.Incomplete combustion produces a by-product, that is, carbon monoxide, which can spread in a matter of minutes and reach high concentrations in seconds.Conventional preventive measures, such as manual regulators and periodic maintenance, are insufficient against sudden hose ruptures or regulator failures.This experiment validates a solution to this problem of harmful gas accumulation by utilizing a combined approach of prompt detection and elimination of leaked gas using MQ gas sensors, automatic servo-controlled exhaust fans, and automated window actuators.The testing included a standard pressurized butane gas canister, which was sprayed onto the MQ-6 sensor as well as the MQ-4 and MQ-2 gas sensors in a controlled environment.An Arduino Wi-Fi microcontroller (Monza, Italy) was used to integrate Wi-Fi connectivity with the countermeasures, which consisted of a DC motor-powered fan, as well as a light-emitting diode (LED) and a buzzer.These were used to mitigate any additional effects of the gas leak.The system components were installed within and along the frame of a model house to simulate a residential environment.To test the system, a pressurized can of butane was used to simulate the conditions of air quality after a gas leak.Results clearly indicated that the MQ gas sensors were reliable gas sensors for detecting gas leaks and the integration of both physical countermeasures and an online-based Internet of Things (IoT) alarm system was effective in warning of gas leaks and mitigating any additional effects.