Detecting Gas, Saving Lives: in the Steel Industry

Many hazards in the steel industry seem obvious, however following a recent audit, the World Steel Association is holding its second “Steel Safety Day” on 28th April to highlight the invisible hazards that present very real risks in today’s steel processing industry. Among the five key areas under the spotlight is “gas and asphyxiation”. We think World Steel Day is a terrific initiative and want to do our bit to spread the word.

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Pellistor sensors – how they work

Pellistor gas sensors (or catalytic bead gas sensors) have been the primary technology for detecting flammable gases since the ‘60s. Despite having discussed a number of issues relating to the detection of flammable gases and VOC, we have not yet looked at how pellistors work. To make up for this, we are including a video explanation, which we hope you will download and use as part of any training you are conducting

A pellistor is based on a Wheatstone bridge circuit, and includes two “beads”, both of which encase platinum coils.  One of the beads (the ‘active’ bead) is treated with a catalyst, which lowers the temperature at which the gas around it ignites. This bead becomes hot from the combustion, resulting in a temperature difference between this active and the other ‘reference’ bead.  This causes a difference in resistance, which is measured; the amount of gas present is directly proportional to it, so gas concentration as a percentage of its lower explosive limit (%LEL*) can be accurately determined.

The hot bead and electrical circuitry are contained in flameproof sensor housing, behind the sintered metal flame arrestor (or sinter) through which the gas passes. Confined within this sensor housing, which maintains an internal temperature of 500°C, controlled combustion can occur, isolated from the outside environment. In high gas concentrations, the combustion process can be incomplete, resulting in a layer of soot on the active bead. This will partially or completely impair performance. Care needs to be taken in environments where gas levels over 70% LEL may be encountered.

For more information about gas sensor technology for flammable gases, read our comparison article on pellistors vs Infrared gas sensor technology: Are silicone implants degrading your gas detection?.

*Lower Explosive Limit – Learn more

Click in the top right hand corner of the video, to access a file that can be downloaded.

Onshore oil not new, but is it the future?

The onshore oil industry is often overlooked and the latest news that there could be up to 100 billion barrels of oil beneath the South of England has surprised many. However, on-shore production is more prevalent worldwide than people realise.

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What does your Gas Detector really cost?

There are many things to consider when selecting the best gas detector, and cost is not the least of them.  But how many of you consider total cost of ownership?

Once the desired specification has been determined, there are likely to be a number of detectors, available over a range of purchase prices, that come close enough to meeting that spec to be considered.  But the purchase price is not the only cost associated with owning a gas detector.  There are also on-going costs of maintenance, which can be significant over the life-time of a unit.

So, other than purchase price, what kinds of things should be considered when thinking about cost of ownership?

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