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The American Petroleum Institute, the governing body of offshore safety, requires all toxic gas detection devices to conform to the standard ISA92.0.01. As you design and update safety plans to protect offshore personnel, consider that requirement and the standard.

The Det-Tronics NTMOS hydrogen sulfide gas detector meets ISA92.0.01 and exceeds the directive in speed of response and environmental immunity. In addition, the detector’s high accuracy and stability coupled with speed of response have been proven in third-party performance testing. Tested in extreme temperatures and humidities, the NTMOS hydrogen sulfide gas detector is perfectly suited for harsh applications such as offshore oil exploration.

Please contact your local sales representative for further information on this life-safety product offered by Det-Tronics, or contact us at rss@det-tronics.com .

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 (more…)

This week the certification and consulting firm – exida – announced another certification for Det-Tronics.

exida certified the Det-Tronics X3301 IR Flame Detector per IEC61508 as Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 2 capable, single use (Hardware Fault Tolerance=0). The product design and development processes were also assessed as suitable for applications up to and including SIL 2.

“The assessment verified that Det-Tronics’ product development processes and product hardware design meet the high quality standards and safety integrity requirements of the IEC 61508 safety standard,” says Michael Medoff, senior safety engineer at exida. “A Failure Modes, Effects, and Diagnostic Analysis (FMEDA) was done as part of the hardware assessment. This analysis was validated by the field failure study. The combination shows an accurate picture of the random failure rates and demonstrates compliance with SIL 2.”

If you have questions about this certification, please contact us at rss@det-tronics.com.

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas can cause nausea, headaches, unconsciousness, and death. Industries struggle to detect this deadly substance before it harms workers and communities. Safety system manufacturers have developed detectors that sense H₂S quickly and accurately.

Toxic gas detection technologies are advancing rapidly. In general, electrochemical sensors and metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors are the current proven detection technologies. Recently, Det-Tronics has added nanotechnology (NT) to its MOS sensors.

The new NTMOS hydrogen sulfide detector has several benefits beyond standard MOS. It responds faster: T50 can be under five seconds. In addition, Det-Tronics NTMOS sensors operate over large temperature and humidity ranges.

When choosing hydrogen sulfide gas detectors, look for performance approvals that indicate the detector is fit for use and will do the job it’s supposed to. Det-Tronics has earned those approvals.

Learn more here http://ntmos.det-tronics.com.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at rss@det-tronics.com.

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.

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: (more…)

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. (more…)

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 (more…)

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 (more…)

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: (more…)