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June 24th, 2009
A recent article published in Health & Safety International reviews the most current gas-detection technologies and their best uses. Some topics covered:
+ In the toxic-gas detection arena, advances in sensor technology have enabled new NTMOS (nanotechnology metal oxide semiconductor) sensors to respond in as quickly as five seconds to deadly hydrogen sulphide gas leaks -– even in extreme temperature and humidity.
+ For combustible gases, the most common detection choices are catalytic and infrared. Catalytics offer lower start-up costs while detecting a wide range of gases and offering good repeatability and accuracy. Infrared detectors are immune to poisoning from contaminants, seldom need recalibrating, and are unaffected by prolonged exposure to high gas concentrations.
+ When implementing a Safety Instrumented System (SIS), project lead times can be cut significantly by choosing products that have undergone third-party SIL certification.
Read more in this article authored by Garth Watkins. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at rss@det-tronics.com.
June 10th, 2009
Flammable materials (aviation fuels, cleaning solvents, and paints) present in aircraft hangars can endanger life, safety, aircraft, and the hangar structure. To improve protection, many Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) either require or strongly recommend high-performance fire detection and suppression systems to cover both the aircraft and the building.
Here are a few considerations to remember in planning hazard protection:
+ In general, fuel leaks accumulate under the wing and aircraft fuselage, therefore it is recommended that flame detectors be mounted on hangar walls (rather than on the ceiling) to view the area under airplane wings.
+ Unless flame detectors are EMI/RFI hardened, some can be activated (go into alarm) by interference from plane radar, communications, and X-rays.
+ Place combustible gas detectors in storage areas where volatile gases or liquids are stored.
Learn more about aircraft/hangar protection by reading this application note: Aircraft Hangar Protection.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at rss@det-tronics.com.
May 27th, 2009
Imagine that your safety system announces an alarm from a flame detector at a pipeline pumping station miles from the nearest worker. How serious is the incident? Is your suppression system operating as it should? Soon you will need to investigate how the incident began and ended.
A strategically positioned camera viewing the same process area as the optical flame detector helps you answer these questions. A remote digital video recorder (DVR) partnered with the camera helps you answer even more.
Det-Tronics offers a full surveillance solution for professionals who need to monitor for fires and visually record events as they evolve. Det-Tronics’ xWatch industrial-grade camera, a key element in a complete hazard-surveillance system, offers remote visual monitoring. The optional DVR records activities before, during, and after incidents; it also adds internet accessibility.
Learn more here http://xwatch.Det-Tronics.com.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at rss@det-tronics.com.
May 13th, 2009
Globally, safety standards play a key role in designing and executing gas and flame detection projects. These standards, which might seem cumbersome at times, can help engineers make informed decisions. The information in standards can be used to assist in maximizing safety.
In general, four classifications of standards are most relevant to flame and gas detection devices and systems:
- Hazardous Location
- Ingress Protection
- Performance
- Safety Integrity Level (SIL)
This brief paper, presented at the recent ISA Analytic Division Symposium, can give some insight into using standards and certifications to improve safety.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at rss@det-tronics.com.
April 22nd, 2009
We’ve fielded plenty of questions lately about cameras serving as both surveillance systems and flame detectors.
People in industrial settings recognize that using a camera to view a hazardous area after hearing a fire alarm can provide valuable data and possibly save lives. They also understand the requirement for accurate, rapid fire detection. But can a surveillance camera be trained adequately to perform as a flame detector?
The first priority of any safety system must be life safety. In other words, above all other functions, the system must reliably recognize a hazard. Read the rest of this entry »
April 7th, 2009
Detecting a sulfur fire is not simple. Very difficult to see with the human eye or a camera, burning sulfur generates a low intensity, blue flame that is a source of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Sulfur combustion does not produce water vapor. Therefore, the standard UV flame detector, which uses a nickel sensor ultraviolet tube, will not work. To detect sulfur flames effectively, a UV detector using a molybdenum (moly) sensing element is recommended. Moly-based sensors have an increased spectral range of 1850 to 2650 angstroms, well suited to detecting burning sulfur.
The problem of detecting burning sulfur is compounded when it is stored in large piles that have irregularities that may cause the flames to be hidden from the detector. Therefore, careful detector placement is essential when designing the flame detection system.
Read more in this sulfur flame detection application note. Please contact us at rss@det-tronics.com if you have questions about sulfur-flame hazards.
March 19th, 2009
Most optical flame detectors have a method to indicate that they are not operating correctly – an LED or an online alert. If the detector does not indicate a fault, you might believe the detector is alert and watching for possible hazards.
But how do you know the detector is not blinded by ice, oil, or another obstruction? And how do you know the sensor is functioning?
Det-Tronics’ optical self-checking features is called optical integrity (oi). This useful feature applied, for example, to an IR flame detector indicates if an IR absorbing material on the detector eye has reduced the effectiveness of the detector.
When you consider a detector that claims it has an optical self-checking system, ask these questions to determine how well the feature will work in your application: Read the rest of this entry »
March 5th, 2009
Recently, we received a question from a customer that included the idea of using smoke detectors rather than flame detectors in a natural-gas fire-hazard application. Our answer? When considering the type of hazard detection required in an application, consider the fuel for the flame. In this case: natural gas.
Natural gas by itself will not emit smoke when it burns. In fact, smoke will be created only after the flame has involved combustible material beyond the gas itself, such as Read the rest of this entry »
February 19th, 2009
On average, a person takes 12 breaths per minute. Given the deadliness of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas, if a release occurs, an individual has a very few breaths – and a very few seconds – to get to safety. A gas detector that alerts people to the presence of H2S gas in less than 5 seconds is essential.
Also essential: the gas detector must function as designed. The new Det-Tronics H2S gas detector combines nanotechnology with a MOS sensor to achieve consistent speed Read the rest of this entry »
February 5th, 2009
Flame and gas hazards are not the only dangers rig and platform workers need protection from – false alarms pose dangers to workers and can be expensive in production losses. Depending on the detection technology used, false alarms can arise from a variety of situations: welding and reflected sunlight, for example.
False alarms add their own brand of safety issues. Workers can be injured as they respond to the false alarms. Conversely, if workers hear enough false alarms, their response time might decrease. Will employees respond as quickly if they think they are hearing a false alarm?
In addition, false alarms cost time and money: lost production dollars, lost work time for crews, and of course overtime pay for the folks who get pulled from sleep at 3AM to address the false-alarm call.
The first step to avoid the false-alarm problem – Look for a flame detector that uses Read the rest of this entry »
