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January 28th, 2010
Approval by the U.S. Coast Guard is required for flame and gas detection systems (including control panel, flame detectors, gas detectors, and accessories) in use where the USCG has jurisdiction – for example, in U.S. flagged vessels or vessels operating in U.S. waters. Mobile Drill Units (MoDUs) also can fall in that category.
Det-Tronics Eagle Quantum Premier (EQP) system has received Type-Approval from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and from Lloyd’s Register (http://eqp.det-tronics.com).
The U.S. Coast Guard certificate was awarded after rigorous Factory Mutual Approvals (FM) witness testing proved the system and components meet the stringent USCG performance criteria. The products were verified to meet the U.S. Coast Guard’s environmental requirements as described in 46 CFR 161.002.
Obtaining the meticulous Lloyd’s Register of Shipping approval further verifies that the flame and gas detection system meets their specified performance requirements and is acceptable for operational use.
“We are pleased to obtain certification from these respected organizations. The hundreds of offshore sites and floating platforms that Det-Tronics currently serves worldwide can be assured of their wise choice for safety,” says Simon Pate, Director of Systems and Projects at Det-Tronics.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us at rss@det-tronics.com.
December 21st, 2009
A scientist would not use a microscope to observe stars in the sky. It’s a misapplication of technology. In the same way, a safety engineer would not use an infrared-spectrum-based flame detector to detect sulfur fires. That’s because certain optical flame detectors are better suited than others to detecting given flame hazards.
Current technologies and algorithms enable detectors to be sensitive to certain fuel fires. The technologies widely used today are based on UV and IR sensors, and combinations of UV and IR sensors. Following is a brief summary of optical flame detectors and the hazards they best detect: Read the rest of this entry »
November 23rd, 2009
One of the gas detectors near a storage tank sends an alert that a leaking flange has burped out some methane gas. The event must be verified and the possible hazardous condition corrected. Quick access to event logs stored in the gas detector’s memory or in the safety system’s database can provide the information necessary to better understand the event and thereby ensure proper repairs.
A data log stored in a safety system, accessible by local or remote PC, provides critical information such as timestamp and location for all events. Similar information is available directly from many field devices. To retrieve the information, a HART Handheld device can be used. But that is not necessary. Read the rest of this entry »
November 10th, 2009
Under day-to-day conditions, people cannot see, smell, or taste the presence of hydrogen gas. Hydrogen, however, is very flammable and requires only a small amount of energy to ignite. In fact, if leaking from a pipe at a high enough pressure, hydrogen gas can self ignite without the aid of an external energy source.
Working together, gas detectors and optical flame detectors can quickly identify a gas leak or the resulting flame.
For example, an enclosed battery room can contain hydrogen generated from the Read the rest of this entry »
October 27th, 2009
Life-saving safety equipment is becoming increasingly important in a wider cross-section of companies. At the same time, there is a growing trend to adopt best practices for the management of safety systems. Many industrial clients now demand, in addition to fire and gas system performance approvals, that designs/upgrades be in line with the Safety Instrumented System (SIS) standards of IEC61508.
The safety requirements specification of any SIS to IEC61508 includes the target Safety Integrity Level (SIL) for defined Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF). A SIF in a fire and Read the rest of this entry »
October 14th, 2009
You can choose the best available technology to sense hydrogen sulfide (H2S), but if your gas detectors are too few or incorrectly placed, they might never see the hazards and will not provide maximum protection.
How many gas detectors is enough and where should they sit? Experience, job-site analysis, and common sense help determine the answers. Consider the following factors for every installation: Read the rest of this entry »
September 30th, 2009
When incorporated into flame detectors and gas detectors, the HART communication protocol enables efficient device set up, maintenance, and diagnostics.
Set up: Whether in the control room or in the field, users can configure or change device settings using a variety of tools -– Det-Tronics’ FlexVu® Universal Display, a HART communicator, or an asset management system.
Maintenance: Modifications to device settings are simple with HART protocol. By sending a single command, a user can perform many tasks such as reviewing logs or adjusting alarm and warning set points. In addition, a user can accurately assess device conditions (such as fault frequency) and prepare for tasks before venturing into the field.
Diagnostics: Automatically generated event logs present viewable history and possibilities for improvements. Time- and date-stamped records of activities such as calibration and device replacement provide regulatory-compliance evidence for system audits.
All of Det-Tronics X-Series flame detectors and many of its gas detectors are HART enabled. If you have questions, please contact us at RSS@det-tronics.com.
September 16th, 2009
Optical flame detectors are ideal for rapid fire detection in turbine enclosures. Properly placed detectors can spot and annunciate fires quickly before they cause damage.
Most current ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR), UVIR, and multi-IR detectors see fires that are typically associated with turbine enclosures: natural gas, propane, fuel oil, and lubrication oil. Therefore, selecting a detection technology for use in a turbine enclosure depends more on false-alarm rejection and maintenance. For that reason, multi-IR and IR detectors are Read the rest of this entry »
August 25th, 2009
Errant industrial gases pose a dangerous mix of toxic and flammable hazards. To detect these hazards effectively, safety engineers must choose a gas detector that senses and measures the unique attributes of the target gas.
Following is a brief summary of several gas-detection technologies and the gas hazards they best detect:
Electrochemical technology is effective primarily for toxic gas detection. Electrochemical sensors use very Read the rest of this entry »
August 6th, 2009
Don’t de-classify an area just to swap gas sensors.
In many cases, you must de-classify an area to replace field equipment. Depending on area requirements, this could take a couple of workers, quite a bit of time, and some paperwork. But if you simply need to swap out a gas sensor, and if your gas detector is intrinsically safe, that extra work is unnecessary.
And when you use a gas detector that has intelligence using the HART protocol, calibrating a new detector is as simple as using a menu to copy and paste. Intelligence also leads to data logging and advanced remote diagnostics.
Take a look at Det-Tronics’ new GT3000 toxic gas detector line. The sensors are intrinsically safe, hot-swappable, intelligent, and have third-party approvals to standards worldwide. Bottom line: It’s intelligence in the field.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at rss@det-tronics.com.
