42 Gas Detection Council of Gas Detection and Environmental Monitoring


CoGDEM (UK) is the Council of Gas Detection and Environmental Monitoring, a trade association with a membership of over fi fty companies involved in the gas detection industry. We are pleased to have ETP (the publishers of this IET magazine) as an Associate Member, so we now place a regular column of news from the gas detection industry in IET magazine.


Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning incidents in domestic environments tend to peak in the cold winter months when heating appliances are working hard and home ventilation is minimised. The US and Canada have seen high levels of CO fatalities due to the extreme cold that has been experienced in the last few months, whereas the UK’s winter temperatures have been signifi cantly milder


than in usual winters. However, storm winds and severe rainfall in the UK has been directly responsible for at least three CO-related deaths in 2014 from the use of petrol-powered portable generators and pumps, located inappropriately indoors. The lack of CO alarm instruments was noted by the investigating authorities in their preliminary fi ndings.


Similarly, the investigation into a double fatality on a working fi shing boat moored in Whitby harbour in mid-January 2014 has found that carbon monoxide from a cooking appliance being used inappropriately as a heating device killed two sleeping workers overnight. There was no gas detection equipment in use, and this point is likely to be identifi ed in a formal report later this year. The boat would be classed as a workplace, so it is likely that non-domestic CO detectors should have been fi tted to protect the workers.


A common factor in all of the CO incidents described above was the attendance of the Fire & Rescue Services. They commonly use multigas portable instruments and will carry (or wear) these into confi ned spaces where victims need to be recovered. Often it is the FRS’s instrument which fi rst identifi es the presence of the toxic gas and gives a clue as to the reason for the victim’s predicament. Fire & Rescue Service personnel have to be protected themselves, and it has also become more common for them to carry single channel CO instruments as a matter of course. The Chief Fire Offi cers Association (CFOA) has recognised the benefi ts of such safety equipment and also set up a means for consumers and landlords to purchase CO alarms through their ‘Blue Watch’ scheme. CoGDEM now participates in CFOA’s Advisory Forum so that best-practice can be communicated both ways.


One reason for CO poisoning incidents can be the faulty installation of heating appliances such as central heating boilers. From 1st April 2014 the use of Flue Gas Analysers (FGAs) to check the effi ciency and safety of newly installed gas-fi red boilers has become mandatory in the UK. These instruments can measure the level of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2


) and oxygen (O2


installed domestic or commercial boilers, as well as calculating the ratio of CO to CO2 engineers are aware of this new requirement.


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29145pr@reply-direct.com Ultra Compact Mass Flow Meter and Controller Modules


The ultra compact mass fl ow controller MFC 2000 Series modules from Axetris (Switzerland) are now also available with 10-32 UNF threads for gas connections. The small 10- 32 UNF thread is especially suited if you have very limited space in your instruments. It allows OEMs to build very compact systems. The MFC 2000 mass fl ow controller family persuades with an industry leading dynamic range and excellent repeatability and response time.


Due to the extremely high turndown ratio of 1000:1 and more, a very large fl ow range can be measured and controlled with one single module. Regular mass fl ow controllers cover a range up from 100:1.


All modules are multi-gas, multi-range capable. The high accuracy and repeatability, as well as the fast response time of platinum-based MEMS sensor allows a very precise control of the gas fl ow. The modules are available with calibrations for the following gases: Air, N2


, O2 (more to come) and with ranges 10-3000 sccm (N2


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The products of the MFC 2000 series are now used by customers in the following applications: gas chromatography, mass spectroscopy, thermal analysis, ion mobility spectrometry, leakage measurement, CO2


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•Flammable & Toxic


Gas Detection


•Gas Analysis •Flame Detection


•Ex Proof Acoustical Alerting


SPECIAL APPLICATION


DUCT MOUNTING TYPE GAS DETECTION SYSTEM This Special Application is an industrial system that enables gas detection devices to detect gases in duct or pipes. It’s extremely rugged construction makes it particularly suitable for chemical and petrochemical application on & off shore. The application to the duct or pipe is made through a suitable flange with its counterflange to be soldered to the duct. As an option the system can be equipped with shut off ball valves to enable the easy application of sample gas to the sensor for calibration purposes.


The Answer to Erroneous Readings from Landfi ll Gas and PID Meters


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Gas Data (UK) have launched a new landfi ll gas meter, the GFM436, for use in geoenvironmental appraisals and site investigations. The meter can attempt to answer the question of unexpectedly high methane results being recorded when the Phase I desk study, and possibly the Phase 2 investigation, which suggest that methane should not be present. It does this by allowing the operator to switch to a second infra-red scale referenced to hexane. Hexane closely matches the infra-red absorption characteristics of fuel and oil and should signifi cant readings be obtained on the hexane scale then the erroneous methane record can begin to be explained by the presence of fuel. This can then be verifi ed by using a PID meter and/or by obtaining a bag sample for lab analysis.


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Conversely the GFM436 can also assist the use of conventional PID meters. PID meters have an inherent weakness in that their calibration is greatly affected by the presence of methane. The GFM436 can be used to arrive at a PID Compensation Factor which can then be applied to the PID readings to enable them to be accurately corrected (generally upwards) for the error caused by the presence of methane. This ability is of great benefi t where PID meters are used in the control or remediation of fuel spills and the cleanup of petrol station forecourt sites.


SPECIAL PRODUCT


SY - HT HIGH TEMPERATURE SY - HT is an ATEX certified flameproof flammable gas sensor with catalytic combus- tion technology specially designed for applications in extreme environments. Suitable for operating in an ambient temperature range from -50°C to +300°C. Its extremely robust construction with an AISI 316L stainless steel enclosure and ma- terials which were originally used in space applications make it particularly suited to detecting flammable gas in turbo gas generators. The sensor is connected to its SY 1 - L control unit which powers it and provides measurements on a digital display and a 4-20 mA analogue output.


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2001ad@reply-direct.com IET March / April 2014 www.envirotech-online.com 29272pr@reply-direct.com 29336pr@reply-direct.com , Ar, CO2 , He, H2 ) in the fl ue of newly which is a measure of combustion effi ciency. CoGDEM has embarked on an advertising campaign to ensure that heating


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