New H2S gas sensor delivers toxic gas protection
With a breakthrough in electrochemical cell sensor technology, the new TS Series Hydrogen Sulphide Gas Detectors from General Monitors now provide advanced protection in hazardous areas
With a breakthrough in electrochemical cell sensor technology, the new TS Series Hydrogen Sulphide Gas Detectors from General Monitors now provide advanced protection against the deadly hazards of hydrogen sulphide gas (H2S) for a wide range of applications. H2S gas is well known for its rotten egg smell. This chemical compound results from the decomposition of organic matter and metal sulphides - typically found in petrochemical exploration, production and refining.
Other industrial processes where H2S is a concern are: tanning, mining, sewers, wastewater treatment, wood-pulp processing, rayon manufacturing, sugar-beet processing, and hot-asphalt paving.
The TS Series for H2S gas detection includes two models: the TS4000 and the TS400.
They both sense H2S over a broad range from 0 to 100 ppm.
The advanced electrochemical cells in these devices feature a precision laser weld design that provides superior casing integrity.
This rugged construction prevents separation and leaking, which are common problems in other sensor designs, to ensure superior performance.
The cells operate over a broad temperature range from -40 to +50C.
The TS4000 monitors toxic gases in the parts per million (ppm) range.
It offers many sophisticated features, such as long distance remote mounting up to 2,000 feet, dual redundant Modbus communications, 8 amp relays, three-digit display, 4-20mA output, and indication of remaining sensor life.
The TS4000 features one person calibration and can virtually self-calibrate by activating a magnetic switch and applying gas.
The TS4000 displays H2S gas concentrations from 0 to 100 ppm, fault codes for trouble-shooting, and provides complete status to the Control Room.
Up to 128 units can be linked via the dual-redundant Modbus output (247 with repeaters).
Additionally, the TS4000 simplifies operation and maintenance and reduces downtime by providing remaining sensor life indication.
The compact TS400 Gas Detector (1.75 x 4.5 inches) fits within the palm of your hand.
It weighs only 8 ounces, and its smaller size allows fixed placement in crowded plant conditions where other larger fixed gas detectors won’t fit.
In addition to H2S, the TS400 detects many other toxic gases.
With one-person, adjustment-free calibration, this detector is easy to install and reduces maintenance costs over the life of the device.
The TS400 is a two-wire loop-powered H2S detector that eliminates the need for an output loop supply, which reduces installation and cabling costs.
Its electronics are encapsulated within a chemically resistant plastic housing with detector information processed at the point of detection.
A built-in LCD indicator also provides local status, fault and calibration cues.
This device can be used in general purpose, intrinsically safe, increased safety or explosion-proof areas when used with specified TS400 accessories.
Landon Kingsway joins IMC Group
International Motion, IMC Group, has announced its purchase of the Landon Kingsway division of Concentric Controls: Landon Kingsway will join Midland ACS in the the Automation group of IMC
International Motion, the IMC Group, has announced its purchase of the Landon Kingsway division of Concentric Controls: Landon Kingsway will join Midland ACS in the the Automation group of IMC. The Landon Kingsway product range will provide a wide variety of innovative technological solutions in the Fire Prevention, Safety and energy management Markets. Purchase of Landon Kingsway marks the second in a series of divisions purchased from Concentric Controls, expanding the Automation Groups commitment to offering the most advanced technological safety application solutions available in today’s global market.
Established for over 60 years, the extensive Landon Kingsway range is recognized in providing quality products and systems in safety equipment including, fire protection, gas detection, hydrostatic and capacitance level equipment, metering products and ancillaries.
Of this most recent product acquisition, IMC Automation Group President, Christopher J Lee, notes, ‘The IMC acquisition of Landon Kingsway will continue to enhance the Automation Group product portfolio, allowing penetration into key market segments as well as offering this predominantly United Kingdom focused business to be distributed throughout a much larger, global distribution network’.
IMC is divided into four operating groups which include: Automation, Controls, Engineered Products and Distribution with its headquarters based in Buffalo, New York.
Each of these groups offers a comprehensive array of products that can be used separately or together, providing standard or custom solutions to meet today’s motion control needs.
With manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea and China as well as through an extensive global distribution network, IMC provides unparalleled customer service and engineering support to a broad customer base.
Triple IR Flame detectors are a better choice
BMW Munich specified Det-Tronics X3001 triple infra-red flame detectors for spray painting booth fire protection because of their complete false alarm resistance
The complete false alarm resistance of Det-Tronics X3001 triple infra-red flame detectors was a main reason for the BMW Munich project engineer to specify these for spray painting booth fire protection, as a more commercially advantageous alternative to the previously used single infra-red flame detectors. Det-Tronics worked with the Munich company Climaplan on that firm’s contract to design a fire protection, flame protection, fire panel and water extinguishing system for the spray booths. The BMW engineer made the decision to use the X3301 detectors instead of the Det-Tronics U7652B UV/IR units already employed for BMW test engine cells.
In that very different application, the UV/IR devices were deployed in a two-detector dependent system, with the extinguishers only activated when two different flame detectors went into alarm.
If just one unit triggered, an audible alarm was activated and the fire brigade was notified.
Because no other source than fire can put the X3301 into alarm, BMW decided it was better for the spray booths.
By being able to use just one detector unit to activate an extinguishing system, this gave BMW the clear commercial benefit of cutting the number of detectors needed in half.
Thirty six X3301 detectors were specified and ordered by the company Multimon, who won the contract for the BMW site in Dingolfing.
All sides were so pleased with the functioning advantages of these detectors that two spray booths at BMW site in Regensburg and one spray booth at BMW site in Leipzig have been equipped with this new generation of triple IR detectors.
High demand for rental equipment at PSE Events
Visitors to the Public Sector Exhibitions (PSE Water Sewerage and Waste) always enjoy a free lunch, with the added benefit of seeing the latest technology available for rent from Ashtead Technology
They say that there is no such thing as a free lunch, but visitors to the Public Sector Exhibitions (PSE Water Sewerage and Waste) enjoy just that, with the additional benefit of an opportunity to see some of the latest technology available for rent from Ashtead Technology Rentals. During 2005 Ashtead Technology Rentals has already participated in events stretching from Exeter to Glasgow and James Carlyle reports high levels of interest in two main areas. ‘As the preferred rental partner for RAE Systems we are able to offer a comprehensive array of rental toxic and personal gas detectors, both single and multiparameter, in addition to the latest technology in remote visual inspection from partners such as Olympus.
Endoscopes and pipeline inspection crawlers have been the most popular’.
As a result of the success of these events, Ashtead has committed itself to further PSE events during the remainder of 2005 and throughout 2006, in addition to the ‘NDT Roadshow’ which is a series of events taking place at football stadia all over the UK and Ireland in which a ‘Dream Team’ of instrumentation companies will display the latest in non-destructive testing equipment.
Full details of these events can be found under the Press Lounge button on the website.
O2 depletion and CO2 detection in ambient air
Witt Gas Techniques has introduced a new low cost ambient air monitoring system to ensure employee safety: it detects Oxygen (O2) depletion or Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentration in the air
Witt Gas Techniques, the Warrington, Cheshire based gas safety, control, analyser and mixing equipment supplier, has introduced a new low cost ambient air monitoring system to ensure employee safety, that detects Oxygen (O2) depletion or carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the air. The system is designed for use in confined spaces such as food factories, cold stores, fruit and vegetable stores, compressor rooms, boiler houses, beer and storage cellars in pubs and hotels. It is a fixed system that has 3 adjustable alarm limits set within the measuring range.
In an alarm condition, an emergency flashing beacon and an audible signal are activated to give warning.
Small, compact transmitters measure the oxygen depletion ranged 0 - 25% volume and the carbon dioxide level from 0-5%.
The transmitter(s) can be located within the room to be monitored with the control and display unit mounted on the wall either inside or outside the room.
The easily accessible control unit has a 3 digit display allowing continuous monitoring of the gas concentration.
The operator can acknowledge alarms, perform built in checks including a relay function test and calibrate the system with ease.
Carl Long, General Manager at Witt Gas said: ‘ This is a new monitoring system that is already being used in the market.
The 7-star Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai has this system fitted in their boiler house, but it would be equally important for the safety of employees if installed in food processing plants or in pubs or restaurants.’
High temperature flammable gas detector with ATEX
The ATEX certified Xgard Type 4 gas detector from Crowcon is designed to quickly detect flammable gases in high temperature applications, up to 150C, such as gas turbines, drying ovens or processes
The new, ATEX certified Xgard Type 4 gas detector from Crowcon is designed to quickly detect flammable gases in high temperature applications (up to 150oC) such as gas turbines, gas-fired drying ovens or printing and coating processes. Gas turbines are usually operated with natural gas (or sometimes naphtha) at high flow volumes, so a gas leak could be extremely dangerous. According to the UK HSE*, at least one gas detector should always be installed if a gas turbine has a continuous gas supply.
This detector should be located in the ventilation outlet, as a leak will always reach it.
Additional detectors can also be installed at other points around the turbine to increase the probability of detecting small leaks.
The main detector in the ventilation outlet should be set to alarm at the lowest practical level - preferably below 5% of the lower explosion limit (LEL) but no higher than 10%.
Because of the extremely high temperatures generated by gas turbines, conventional sensors cannot be used.
The Xgard Type 4 is therefore ideal for this application.
Suitable for Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas, the detector’s sensor contains poison-resistant catalytic beads which can detect hydrocarbons at high temperatures.
With a life of up to five years, the Xgard Type 4 sensor has a 316 stainless steel housing, with the choice of a marine grade aluminium or 316 stainless steel junction box for ultimate corrosion resistance in extreme environments.
The aluminium junction box is protected by a tough polyester coating.
Both types of junction box have lugs for both wall and ceiling mounting, removing the need for additional brackets, while a choice of four cable gland sizes allows quick and easy installation on any site.
Fire/gas system and IR detectors in chemical plant
Det-Tronics combined fire/gas detection and extinguishing agent release systems with infrared flame detectors protect production and storage facilities at a Cognis plant producing chemical products
A Det-Tronics Eagle Quantum Premier combined fire/gas detection and extinguishing agent release system with 41 multi-frequency X3301 infrared flame detectors have been selected by Cognis France to protect production and storage facilities at a plant producing chemical products 50 km east of Paris. The choice of Detector Electronics for the contract followed lengthy evaluation testing started in 1999, with all competitive systems eliminated before this year’s final decision. This was reportedly due largely to the superior performance and reliability of the Det-Tronics products and the supportiveness and system solution ideas of the local DEC team.
Flame detectors are being installed throughout the plant with the EQP system sited beside the main controlroom DCS (distributed control system).
The equipment has all the ATEX and CE certifications required for installations in France.
The Eagle Quantum Premier system integrates its multiple functions in one complete package offering particular benefits in hazardous area protection, with complete system integration on a fault tolerant digital communications network.
Other advantages of the system included configuration versatility, use of third-party equipment and simplified safety audits.
The X3301 IR optical flame detector was developed with new features adding optimum optical integrity and new outputs to its high detection sensitivity and reliability with virtual immunity to traditional false alarm sources.
An extended cone of vision and enhanced zoning capability also means that fewer detectors are needed.
Personal multi-gas monitor for harsh environments
Extending the family of Tetra portable gas monitors, the lightweight Tetra:3 from Crowcon Detection Instruments combines extremely rugged design with small size and simple operation
Extending the family of Tetra portable gas monitors, the lightweight Tetra:3 from Crowcon Detection Instruments combines extremely rugged design with small size and simple operation. Designed for use in demanding industrial environments, including confined space work in the construction industry, the Tetra:3 has simple, single button operation which can be used with a gloved hand. Monitoring oxygen, toxic and flammable gases, the unit has a top mounted, backlit display showing all gas readings, diagnostics and battery life.
Despite its compact size and low weight (less than 300g), the Tetra:3 is very rugged.
Its shatterproof housing with rubber over-moulding, provides extra shock and vibration protection, and gives it water and dust resistance to IP65 and IP67.
If a hazard is detected, Tetra:3 gives rapid and effective warning with a powerful 95 dBA audible alarm, an extremely bright red/blue LED visual warning, and by vibrating.
There are two levels of alarm, which can be set to have distinctive tones.
A lithium-ion battery provides over 18 hours continuous operation from a single charge, and there is a 30 day countdown warning of the calibration due date.
The Tetra:3 comes standard with a stainless steel alligator pocket clip and an optional harness for chest mounting.
Flame detection performance improved
With a next-generation multi-spectral infrared flame sensor incorporating neural network technology, the FL4000 Flame Detection System delivers superior false alarm immunity
With a next-generation multi-spectral infrared flame sensor that incorporates neural network technology (NNT), the new FL4000 Intelligent Multi-Spectral IR (MSIR) Flame Detection System from General Monitors sets a new industry standard for performance, reliability and value. The FL4000 gives process and plant engineers a potent new tool in protecting people, equipment and facilities from dangerous hydrocarbon flame sources. Until now, flame detection has been based on multi-spectral optical flame detectors integrated with expert signal processing.
This type of system relies on an expert to design a fixed set of conditions.
While these devices meet basic flame detection needs, they are prone to false alarms caused by reflected sunlight, arc welding, hot piping, machinery, and other false alarm sources.
The new FL4000 combines an advanced optical MSIR sensor array with NNT processing.
NNT is based on artificial neural networks (ANN), which are mathematical models of biological neurons in the human brain that correlate given signal patterns with target flame conditions.
The optical IR sensor array and the neural network function together as an adaptive and intuitive decision-making mechanism with boundless optimisation capability.
The result is a breakthrough flame detector that provides the industry’s most reliable discrimination between actual flames and nuisance false alarm sources.
The FL4000 MSIR detector makes use of four separate infrared spectrums sampling different IR spectral areas to detect a flame.
The analogue signals from each sensor are sampled and then converted into digital format for initial signal pre-processing to extract time and frequency information.
The time and frequency information are used by the proprietary FL4000 neural network classification algorithm to identify if the input IR signals are emitted from a flame or non-flame source.
The flame or non-flame decision is then reported as an output via LEDs, relays, and Modbus.
With its highly reliable NNT flame discrimination algorithm, the FL4000 detector is highly immune to false alarms while at the same time offering extended range (up to 230 feet) and field-of-view (FOV) characteristics (100 degrees at 50 ft).
For example, the new FL4000 MSIR flame detector provides false alarm immunity to arc welding as close as 10 feet away.
Other features include built-in COPM (Continuous Optical Path Monitoring) self-diagnostic circuitry checks the optical path integrity and the detector’s electronic circuitry once every two minutes.
Serial ports allow up to 128 units (247 using repeaters) to be linked up to a host computer using the Modbus RTU protocol.
The FL4000 sets a new benchmark for performance, reliability, safety and value in flame detection.
Accurately and reliably detecting flames has long been a technical challenge in the oil/gas, petrochemical and many other applications, such as offshore drilling platforms, pipelines, LNG and LPG plants, refineries, marine fuel load/unload facilities and chemical plants.
The ability to differentiate spectral radiation emitted by actual flames from that emitted by backgrond ambient radiation is absolutely crucial.
Failure to do so results in either undetected fires or more commonly, nuisance false alarms that interrupt operations, trigger suppression equipment, consume extinguishing materials, require resolution of the alarm condition and often operational or plant re-starts.
The FL4000 is a next-generation solution in flame detection.
Failsafe detection of hydrocarbons
Featuring the latest infrared technology, the Draeger Polytron Pulsar Open Path Gas Detector is able to detect hydrocarbon leaks within a line of sight of up to 200m
Featuring the latest infrared technology, the Draeger Polytron Pulsar open path gas detector is able to detect hydrocarbon leaks within a line of sight of up to 200m. Designed to provide failsafe detection of a wide range of hydrocarbons, this robust unit has built-in directional guidance and can be both aligned and commissioned without the need for special training. Explosion proof and ideal for the detection of the alkane series, from methane to hexane, as well as propylene, methanol, ethanol and ethylene, the Polytron Pulsar is easy to use and can be commissioned by just one person.
The integral calibration requires no manual adjustment or standard test gas and the alignment and signal strength parameters can be logged and used to determine optimum operating conditions.
Carrying a Safety Integrity Level rating of 2 (SIL 2) and offering a response time of less than two seconds, the Polytron Pulsar is designed to ensure that all faults are detected, thereby providing failsafe protection.
A continuous signal between the receiver and transmitter allows the system to adapt to difficult environmental conditions, and high power Xenon lamps, combined with a sophisticated algorithm which varies their intensity and frequency, makes the unit immune to solar radiation, stack flares, arc-welding and resonance effects from rotating machinery.
Impervious to the effects of fog, mist and snow across the beam, it also features heated optics to eliminate snow and icing and prevent condensation.
The internal data logger maintains a detailed record of the previous 7 days of operation, and consolidates records for the previous 32 weeks.
Containing essential information, these records can include actual readings, events such as beam block and gas alarms, warning flags, signal strength, alignment, supply voltage and internal temperature.
Digital communications between the field and the safe area can also be provided, without the need for extra cable cores, by the addition of HART.
Enabling a complete installation to be monitored from a single workstation, a HART configured system provides real time information on the status of an individual detector as well as configuration and historical data of each device.
Useful when planning maintenance, HART can also provide substantial cost savings, particularly where detectors are located in hard to reach areas.
In addition, gas calibrations and the signal span can be accessed and changed remotely with an AI500 digital interface.
For larger installations, up to 32 AI500 devices can be connected via an RS485 interface to allow up to 128 Polytron Pulsar units to be monitored.
Meeting ATEX, IECEx UL, CSA and GOST approvals, the Polytron Pulsar can be supplied with a variety of operating distances from 4 to 60m, 30 to 120m or 100 to 200m, and is designed for use in temperatures ranging from -40 to +60C.