Det-Tronics RSS feed provides a resource for people concerned with improving industrial safety and brings usable safety-application
expertise directly to viewers' PC desktops.
Getting Started with RSS
November 6th, 2008
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 »
October 23rd, 2008
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 »
October 9th, 2008
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 »
September 25th, 2008
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 current gas-detection technologies and the gas hazards they best detect: Read the rest of this entry »
September 11th, 2008
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 28th, 2008
People who have worked in a facility that has a hydrogen fire risk might be familiar with the straw-broom technique for detecting the nearly invisible hazard. The scenario looks something like this . . .
A worker walks slowly near hydrogen lines and sweeps the air ahead using a dry straw broom. If the broom catches fire, the worker stops immediately and knows a hydrogen fire is present.
Many facilities use this method still today. Fortunately, flame detector manufacturers apply more sophisticated methods beyond the broom: optical flame detection. Because hydrogen fires produce only Read the rest of this entry »
July 30th, 2008
Welcome to the first posting on the Det-Tronics RSS feed — News You Will Use.
We are dedicated to providing a resource for people concerned with improving industrial safety. We invite you to tap into a deep well of experience to solve many of your day-to-day and long-range safety issues.
Since 1973, when Det-Tronics was founded, we have attracted a large band of international safety experts. Now these Det-Tronics professionals, many with over 20 years in the industry, will share their expertise with you via this RSS feed. You’ll see topics such as:
• reducing false alarms
• proper application of IR and UV flame detectors
• current approaches to risk reduction
