44 Gas Detection Vortex FP Control Panels Monitor Gas Detectors in Zone 1 Hazardous Areas


Crowcon’s (UK) new Vortex FP Compact control panel increases the flexibility of its flameproof product range. Like the existing Vortex FP, the FP Compact is specifically designed to monitor toxic and flammable gas detectors or fire detectors where there is a need for the control system to be installed in Atex Zone 1 and 2 hazardous areas. Its more compact size, however, means it is particularly suited to confined spaces such as analyser shelters in refineries, offshore rigs or FPSO (floating production, storage and offloading) installations.


All day-to-day operations on either model can be performed without having to open the panel’s enclosure: gas levels, alarms and faults are viewed at a glance through a window and all system functions are accessed either via buttons or a ‘Crowmag’ magnetic key (supplied). This means the whole system can be checked at a glance without a ‘hot work’ permit being required, which in turn means adjacent areas can remain online, saving time and money.


The standard Vortex FP contains up to 24 relays and can monitor up to 12 gas/fire detectors, while the FP Compact contains up to 16 relays and can also monitor up to 12 detectors. Rated IP66 for dust and water ingress, both models meet all the latest gas detection legislation and EMC standards and is validated to the IEC 61508 (SIL 1) functional safety standard.


The control panel is also highly configurable: it can be factory-set according to end-user requirements or altered at any time by a PC using the software provided. Adjustments can also be made in-situ without the need for additional equipment.


All relays are monitored continuously, ensuring the integrity of the entire control system. Modbus capability also allows two-wire linkage between the panel and the control room, saving on a potentially large number of costly cable linkages.


In areas where explosive or toxic gases are a real and imminent danger, both the Vortex FP and the Vortex FP Compact allow workers to perform their jobs more efficiently without compromising their safety. Reader Reply Card No. PID Lamps Keep Us Safe


From industrial processes to chemical storage, chemical spill accidents to environmental monitoring and personal safety the need for gas detection is growing and essential. Several technologies are employed to perform this detection including, catalytic and electrochemical sensors, gas chromatography, flame and photo ionisation, and ion mobility spectrometry. The photo ionisation detector, or PID, method offers perhaps the best of all worlds when compared to the other techniques, yielding fast response, low detection levels, ease of use, small size, portability and affordability.


Photo ionisation detection uses a specialised UV lamp that emits high energetic photons. The energy level of the photons depends on the gas fill of the lamp and is measured in electron volts (eV).


When the photons are absorbed by the gas atmosphere to be measured they excite the gas molecules causing the loss of an electron, resulting in ionisation of the gas. The number of ionised gas molecules, which are measured as current generated from the movement of electrons in the detector, is proportional to the concentration of the ionised compound. This allows a quantitative measurement of concentration.


However photo ionisation is not gas selective because all molecules with ionisation potentials less than the photon energy of lamp are ionised. The technique is non- destructive so can be used in conjunction with other detectors for extending the analysis.


Heraeus (Germany) manufactures a range of PID lamps with varying photon energies to enable a degree of compound selection. A recent introduction has been a dedicated 10.0 eV lamp which is particularly useful for measuring benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (BTEX compounds).


Measurement of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) using portable Photo ionisation Detectors (PID) enables fast detection with high sensitivity. VOCs comprise numerous chemical compounds such as toluene and isobutylene and are found in many different industries. Exposure limits for these chemicals can be very low, when exposure occurs over a long period of time. Contact to these substances can present a serious health hazard not only in a manufacturing environment but on the streets as they are


shipped. For this reason VOC detection is of paramount importance during emergency spill response actions and in industries where worker exposure must be limited.


While many VOCs are also flammable and can be detected with other technologies, such as a catalytic sensor, the levels of concern are typically at the parts-per-million (ppm) or parts-per-billion (ppb) level. For example, toluene has a lower explosive limit (LEL) of 1.2% and a permissible 8-hour exposure of 50 ppm. Exposures to LEL levels are 240 times higher than the shift exposure level (1.2% = 12,000 ppm).


Obviously, a technology capable of higher sensitivity is required to ensure worker or personnel safety. Photo ionisation detectors (PIDs) rely on specific physical properties of the VOCs, and many common VOCs have ionisation potentials lower than 10.6 eV, which is a common energy level for PID UV lamps.


Heraeus Noblelight, a specialist manufacturer of specialty light sources, supplies photo ionisation detector lamps (PID lamps) used in modern portable gas detection units. Using latest electronics and software, PID lamps can be used in durable and easy-to-use mobile gas alarm units delivering reliable detection results.


Reader Reply Card No. 151 150


Leading Innovation in Gas Detection


The demands on gas detection equipment manufacturers have become more stringent with a greater focus on performance, reliability and user-friendliness. As a result, manufacturers look to their sensor suppliers to sustain their competitiveness and to provide robust and sensing solutions for life critical applications.


For many years, electrochemical sensors have been used to measure toxic and oxygen depletion hazards with great success. However traditional sensor designs are constrained by the technology itself, requiring reservoirs of corrosive electrolyte to support performance in extremes of temperature and humidity. This necessitates larger sensor designs which have an impact on the minimum size of the gas detectors using them.


Solidsense (Germany) is a pioneering manufacturer of electrochemical gas sensors based on a unique solid electrolyte design. Available for carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen dioxide and hydrogen as well as long life oxygen, our products provide reliable and accurate gas sensing in a package no bigger than an average thumbnail. Boasting excellent environmental stability, fast response and accurate measurement they provide instrument manufacturers with a sensing solution to meet their customers’ needs now and in the future.


Please contact Solidsense to learn how we can drive innovation in your designs. Reader Reply Card No. ATEX Approved Flammable Gas Sensor for Extreme Environments


The SY-HT from GEIT (Italy) is an ATEX certified, flameproof gas sensor with catalytic combustion technology especially designed for applications based in extreme and harsh environments. This sensor is designed to operate efficiently in an ambient temperature range of -50 – 300 deg C.


Elements of SY-HT’s robust construction, which includes its AISI 316L stainless steel housing, were originally designed to meet the high specifications of the space industry. This level of quality makes SY-HT the perfect choice for tough applications such as detecting flammable gases in turbo gas generators. The SY-HT is connected to GEIT’s SY1 – L control unit which powers the sensor and provides measurement data on a digital display and a 4-20 mA analogue output.


Reader Reply Card No. AET Annual Buyers’ Guide 2013 www.envirotech-online.com 153 152


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