Blogs listed by category: Gases

Our Partnership with Altitude Safety

Background

Altitude Safety has developed into one of the UK’s leading Confined Space and Site Safety Equipment suppliers. Supplying a product portfolio of over 10,000 products from the leading global manufacturers and with their dedicated fleet, Altitude Safety can deliver your safety solutions nationwide. Altitude Safety is part of the Citrus Group and has a client base of more than 35,000, thereby offering truly extensive and multifaceted provision. The Group aims to keep focused on Safety Equipment, Education and Training whilst also providing an effective and complete safety and training solution trusted by industries worldwide.

Views on Gas Detection

Providing both portable and fixed systems allows Altitude Safety’s customers to have a full solution option best suited to their needs and requirements. In regard to portable gas detection being a critical piece of safety equipment, Altitude Safety put customers at the forefront of gas detection, providing equipment in gas detection that not only protects their customers plants and processes but, more importantly, helps to prevent injury, thereby helping to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of its workers. Also, with the supply of fixed gas detection, Altitude Safety can offer its customers a complete turnkey solution for both new and replacement systems. Altitude Safety ensures the customers’ requirements through complete site surveys to provide advice on the best location of sensor heads, cable runs, and control panels. Whilst also offering a complete service from supply, installation, commissioning, and ongoing service/calibration contracts.

Maintaining and servicing safety products is key to ensuring that it remains in tip-top condition and ultimately works correctly at the critical time. Their manufacture approved service center is operated via a team of dedicated and manufacturer-trained technicians. From receipt into our warehouse, Altitude Safety prides itself in being meticulously careful with the products ensuring that they are maintained, serviced and packaged correctly, ready for their customers to get back to operating as soon as possible.

Working with Crowcon

Through continuous communication of knowledge and expertise with Altitude Safety, our partnership has allowed for the supply of gas detection instruments for those working in the confined space and utility industries. “Our partnership with Crowcon has allowed us to provide a full turnkey solution for our customers and qualified service centers. We can provide a critical safety product to a range of industries, environments and workers to ensure safety for those involved”.

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Where do Flue Gas Analyzers Fit into the UK Government’s Decarbonisation Plans?

When the UK government announced, in March 2021, that £1 billion of already-allocated funds would be redirected to projects designed to reduce greenhouse gases, the energy sector sat up and listened. And with good reason – as it turned out, £171 million will be allocated to an industrial decarbonisation plan that focuses on hydrogen gas generation and carbon capture and storage technologies.  

However, the news extended beyond green energy production and is relevant to domestic and industrial HVAC applications. In a gesture that reflects the role HVAC engineers and manufacturers can play in sustainability, more than £900 million will be spent upgrading public buildings, like schools and hospitals, with greener fittings such as heat pumps, solar panels and insulation, which will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

But where does this leave the individual households and business units that many HVAC staff visit daily? That is a question that several commentators have asked, and it seems that – for now at least – the main drive to reduce the environmental impact of privately-owned heating and plumbing systems will continue to come from the manufacturers, engineers and installers working in the HVAC sector. 

And that’s quite a responsibility. According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2020, there were approximately 27.8 million households in the UK; government statistics from 2019 indicate that around 15% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK (specifically of carbon dioxide, along with methane, F gases and nitrous oxide) came from those residential settings. That’s a lot of excess CO2 to clean up. 

So, what can HVAC people do to help decarbonisation? 

If they have decent equipment, heating engineers and plumbers can help to reduce that figure by 15%. For example, they are well placed to measure CO2 and other greenhouse gases: while most flue gas analyzers will measure CO2, some can also measure NO/NOx (for example, the Sprint Pro 5 and Sprint Pro 6) well.  

A flue gas analyzer that gives a wide range of easy-to-read and interprets measurements allows engineers to see when appliances are not working correctly and whether an upgrade (for example, to a government-subsidised heat pump) might be in order. 

This is a pressing need: many households hang onto appliances for as long as possible, even though older appliances tend to be much less environmentally friendly than their modern counterparts. This is bad enough for the environment, but using a malfunctioning older appliance is the worst of all possible outcomes. 

A good flue gas analyzer will provide the readings required to convince many customers to decarbonise their homes or businesses more effectively. It will also allow the engineer to fix many problems in more modern and efficient appliances, bringing them back to their original operating standards and protecting the planet once more. 

Helping to reach net zero 

In late 2021, the UK government set out its plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and every heating engineer in the country has a part to play in that project. While checking flue gases may be an everyday event for many HVAC engineers, the fact remains that household and business emissions account for a substantial proportion of CO2 output and emissions of other dangerous gases. While persuading a single household to operate with lower carbon emissions may not seem like a big deal, the impact can be very substantial when this is scaled up across the country. 

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T4x a Compliance 4-gas monitor 

It is vital to ensure that the gas sensor you employ is fully optimised and reliable in the detection and accurate measurement of flammable gas and vapours, whatever environment or workplace it is within, is of the utmost importance. 

Fixed or portable? 

Gas detectors come in a range of different forms, most commonly they are known as fixed, portable or transportable, in which these devices are designed to meet the needs of the user and environment whilst protecting the safety of those within it.  

Fixed detectors are implemented as permanent fixtures within an environment to provide ongoing monitoring of plant and equipment. According to guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) these types of sensors are particularly helpful where there is the possibility of a leak into an enclosed or partially enclosed space which could lead to the accumulation of flammable gases. The International Gas Carrier Code (IGC Code) states that gas detection equipment should be installed to monitor the integrity of the environment that it is to monitor and should be tested in accordance with the recognised standards. This is to ensure that the fixed gas detection system operates effectively, timely and accurate calibration of the sensors is critical. 

Portable detectors normally come as a small, handheld device that can be used within smaller environments, confined spaces, to trace leaks or early warnings to the presence of flammable gas and vapour within hazardous areas. Transportable detectors are not handheld, but they are easily moved from place to place to act as a monitor ‘stand-in’ whilst a fixed sensor is undergoing maintenance. 

What is a compliance 4-gas monitor? 

Gas sensors are primarily optimised for detecting specific gases or vapours through design or calibration. It is desirable that a toxic gas sensor, for example one detecting carbon monoxide or hydrogen sulphide, provides an accurate indication of the target gas concentration rather than a response to another interfering compound. Personal safety monitors often combine several sensors for protecting the user against specific gas risks. However, a ‘Compliance 4-Gas monitor’ comprises sensors for measuring levels of carbon monoxide (CO) hydrogen sulphide (H2S), oxygen (O2) and flammable gases; normally methane (CH4) in one device.  

The T4x monitor with the ground-breaking MPS™ sensor is able to provide protection from CO, H2S, O2 risks with accurate measurement of multiple flammable gases and vapours utilising a basic methane calibration. 

Is there a need for a compliance 4-gas monitor? 

Many of the flammable gas sensors deployed in conventional monitors are optimized for detecting a specific gas or vapour through calibration but will respond to many other compounds. This is problematic and potentially dangerous as the gas concentration indicated by the sensor will not be accurate and may indicate a higher (or more dangerously) and lower concentration of gas/vapour than is present. With workers often potentially exposed to risks from multiple flammable gases and vapours within their workplace, it is incredibly important to ensure that they are protected through the implementation of an accurate and reliable sensor. 

How is the T4x portable 4-in-1 gas detector different? 

To ensure ongoing reliability and accuracy of the T4x detector. The detector utilises the  MPS™ (Molecular Property Spectrometry) Sensor functionality within its robust unit that provides a range of features to ensure safety. It offers protection against the four common gas hazards: carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide, flammable gases and oxygen depletion, whilst The T4x multi gas detector now comes with improved detection of pentane, hexane and other long chain hydrocarbons. It comprises a large single button and easy-to-follow menu system to enable ease of use for those wearing gloves, who’ve undergone minimal training. Tough, yet portable, the T4x detector features an integrated rubber boot and an optional clip-on filter that can be easily removed and replaced when needed. These features allow the sensors to remain protected even within the dirtiest environments, to ensure they can constant. 

A unique benefit to the T4x detector is that it ensures toxic gas exposure is calculated accurately throughout an entire shift, even if it is switched off momentarily, during a break or when travelling to another site. The TWA feature allows for uninterrupted and disrupted monitoring, So, when powering up, the detector begins again from zero, as if starting a new shift and ignores all previous measurements. The T4x allows the user the option to include previous measurements from within the correct time frame. The detector is not just reliable in terms of accurate detection and measurement of four gases, it is also dependable due to its battery life. It lasts for 18 hours and is useful for usage across multiple or longer shifts without requiring charging as regularly.  

During usage the T4 employs a handy ‘traffic light’ display offering constant visual assurance that it is operating soundly and conforming to the site bump test and calibration policy. The bright green and red Positive Safety LEDs are visible to all and, as a result, offer a quick, simple and comprehensive indication of the monitor’s status to both the user and others around them. 

T4x helps operations teams focus on more value adding tasks by reducing the number of sensor replacements by 75% and increasing sensor reliability. Through ensuring compliance across site T4x helps health and safety managers by eliminating the need to ensure each device is calibrated for the relevant flammable gas as it accurately detects 19 at once. Being poison resistant and with battery life doubled, operators are more likely to never be without a device. T4x reduces the 5-year total cost of ownership by over 25% and saves 12g of lead per detector which makes it much easier to recycle at the end of its life. 

Overall, through the combination of three sensors (including two new sensor technologies MPS™ and Long-life O2) within an already popular portable multi-gas detector. Crowcon allowed for the enhancement of safety, cost-effectiveness and efficiency of individual units and entire fleets. The new T4x offers longer life with a higher accuracy for gas hazard detection whilst providing a more sustainable build than ever before. 

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What causes Hydrocarbon Fires?  

Hydrocarbon fires are caused by fuels containing carbon being burned in oxygen or air. Most fuels contain significant levels of carbon, including paper, petrol, and methane – as examples of solid, liquid or gaseous fuels – hence hydrocarbon fires. 

For there to be an explosion risk there needs to be at least 4.4% methane in air or 1.7% propane, but for solvents as little as 0.8 to 1.0% of the air being displaced can be enough to create a fuel air mix that will explode violently on contact with any spark.

Dangers associated with hydrocarbon fires

Hydrocarbon fires are considered highly dangerous when compared to fires that have ignited as a result of simple combustibles, as these fires have the capacity to burn at a larger scale as well as also having the potential to trigger an explosion if the fluids released cannot be controlled or contained. Therefore, these fires pose a dangerous threat to anyone who works in a high-risk area, the dangers include energy related dangers such as burning, incineration of surrounding objects. This is a danger due to the ability that the fires can grow quickly, and that heat can be conducted, converted and radiated to new sources of fuel causing secondary fires. 

Toxic hazards may be present in combustion products, for example, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), hydrochloric acid (HCL), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) compounds are dangerous for those working in these environments. CO uses the oxygen that is used to transport the red blood cells around the body, at least temporarily, impairing the body’s ability to transport oxygen from our lungs to the cells that need it. HCN adds to this problem by inhibiting the enzyme that tells the red blood cells to let go of the oxygen they have where it is needed – further inhibiting the body’s ability to get the oxygen to the cells that need it. HCL is a generally an acidic compound that is created through overheated cables. This is harmful to the body if ingested as it affects the lining of the mouth, nose, throat, airways, eyes, and lungs. NO2 is created in high temperature combustion and that can cause damage to the human respiratory tract and increase a person’s vulnerability to and in some cases lead to asthma attacks. PAH’s affects the body over a longer period of time, with serve cases leading to cancers and other illnesses. 

We can look up the relevant health levels accepted as workplace safety limits for healthy workers within Europe and the permissible exposure limits for the United States. This gives us a 15-minute time weighted average concentration and an 8-hour time weighted average concentration. 

For the gases these are: 

Gas  STEL (15-minute TWA)  LTEL (8-hour TWA)  LTEL (8hr TWA) 
CO  100ppm  20ppm  50ppm 
NO2  1ppm  0.5ppm  5 Ceiling Limit 
HCL  1ppm  5ppm  5 Ceiling Limit 
HCN  0.9ppm  4.5ppm  10ppm 

The different concentrations represent the different gas risks, with lower numbers needed for more dangerous situations. Fortunately, the EU has worked it all out for us and turned it into their EH40 standard. 

Ways of protecting ourselves

We can take steps to ensure we do not suffer from exposure to fires or their unwanted combustion products. Firstly of course, we can adhere to all fire safety measures, as is the law. Secondly, we can take a pro-active approach and not let potential fuel sources accumulate. Lastly, we can detect and warn of the presence of combustion products using appropriate gas detection equipment. 

Crowcon product solutions

Crowcon provides a range of equipment capable of detecting fuels and the combustion products described above. Our PID products detect solids and liquid-based fuels once they are airborne, as either hydrocarbons on dust particles or solvent vapours. This equipment includes our Gas–Pro portable. The gases can be detected by our Gasman single gas, T3 multi gas and Gas-Pro multi gas pumped portable products, and our Xgard, Xgard Bright and Xgard IQ fixed products – each of which has the capability of detecting all the gases mentioned. 

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The importance of Gas Detection in the Waste to Energy industry 

Waste is composed of materials that are no longer needed, and thus are discarded. Waste can be classified as solid or liquid according to its form, and further categorised as hazardous and non-hazardous waste. Liquid waste includes municipal wastewater, storm water run-off and industrial wastewater discharge. 

Solid waste includes household rubbish, which is also called municipal solid waste (MSW), industrial waste – for example, from agriculture – medical and electronics waste. 

The treatment of solid waste is challenging because it may contain one of more contaminants (which may include heavy metals, explosive and flammable materials) and these must be dealt with before the waste can be treated. 

What are the gas hazards? 

There are many processes to turn waste into energy, these include, biogas plants, refuse collection, leachate pool, combustion and heat recovery, exhaust air scrubber and ash pit. All these processes pose gas hazards to those working in these environments.  

Within a Biogas Plant, biogas is produced. This is formed when organic materials such as agricultural and food waste are broken down by bacteria in an oxygen-deficient environment. This is a process called anaerobic digestion. When the biogas has been captured, it can be used to produce heat and electricity for engines, microturbines and fuel cells. Clearly, biogas has high methane content as well as substantial hydrogen sulphide (H2S), and this generates multiple serious gas hazards. (Read our blog for more information on biogas). However, there is an elevated risk of, fire and explosion, confined space hazards, asphyxiation, Oxygen depletion and gas poisoning (H2S, ammonia (NH3)). Workers in a biogas plant must have personal gas detectors that detect and monitor flammable gas, oxygen and toxic gases like H2S and carbon monoxide (CO).

Within a refuse collection it is common to find flammable gas methane (CH4) and toxic gases H2S, CO and NH3. This is because refuse bunkers are built several metres underground and gas detectors are usually mounted high above them, this makes those detectors hard to service and calibrate. In many cases, a sampling system is a practical solution as air samples can be brought to a convenient location and measured.

Leachate is a liquid that drains (leaches) from an area in which waste is collected, with leachate pools presenting a range of gas hazards. These include the risk of flammable gas (explosion risk), H2S (poison, corrosion), ammonia (poison, corrosion), CO (poison) and adverse oxygen levels (suffocation). Leachate pool and passageways leading to the leachate pool requiring monitoring of CH4, H2S, CO, NH3, oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Various gas detectors should be placed along routes to the leachate pool, with output connected to external control panels.

Combustion and heat recovery requires the detection of O2 and toxic gases sulphur dioxide (SO2) and CO. These gases all pose a threat to those who work in boiler house areas.

Another process that is classed as a gas hazard is an exhaust air scrubber. The process is hazardous as the flue gas from incineration is highly toxic. This is because it contains pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), SO2, hydrogen chloride (HCL) and dioxin. NO2 and SO2 are major greenhouse gases, while HCL and dioxides are harmful to human health.

Additionally, ash pits contain toxic gases as well as oxygen monitoring, through both O2 and CO.  

To read more on the waste to energy industry, visit our industry page.  

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How do Electrochemical sensors work? 

Electrochemical sensors are the most used in diffusion mode in which gas in the ambient environment enters through a hole in the face of the cell. Some instruments use a pump to supply air or gas samples to the sensor. A PTFE membrane is fitted over the hole to prevent water or oils from entering the cell. Sensor ranges and sensitivities can be varied in design by using different size holes. Larger holes provide higher sensitivity and resolution, whereas smaller holes reduce sensitivity and resolution but increase the range.  

Benefits  

Electrochemical sensors have several benefits.  

  • Can be specific to a particular gas or vapor in the parts-per-million range. However, the degree of selectivity depends on the type of sensor, the target gas and the concentration of gas the sensor is designed to detect.  
  • High repeatability and accuracy rate. Once calibrated to a known concentration, the sensor will provide an accurate reading to a target gas that is repeatable. 
  • Not susceptible to poisoning by other gases, with the presence of other ambient vapours will not shorten or curtail the life of the sensor. 
  • Less expensive than most other gas detection technologies, such as IR or PID technologies. Electrochemical sensors are also more economical. 

Issues with cross-sensitivity  

Cross-sensitivity occurs when a gas other than the gas being monitored/detected can affect the reading given by an electrochemical sensor. This causes the electrode within the sensor to react even if the target gas is not actually present, or it causes an otherwise inaccurate reading and/or alarm for that gas. Cross-sensitivity may cause several types of inaccurate reading in electrochemical gas detectors. These can be positive (indicating the presence of a gas even though it is not actually there or indicating a level of that gas above its true value), negative (a reduced response to the target gas, suggesting that it is absent when it is present, or a reading that suggests there is a lower concentration of the target gas than there is), or the interfering gas can cause inhibition. 

Factors affecting electrochemical sensor life  

There are three main factors that affect the sensor life including temperature, exposure to extremely high gas concentrations and humidity. Other factors include sensor electrodes and extreme vibration and mechanical shocks. 

Temperature extremes can affect sensor life. The manufacturer will state an operating temperature range for the instrument: typically -30˚C to +50˚C. High quality sensors will, however, be able to withstand temporary excursions beyond these limits. Short (1-2 hours) exposure to 60-65˚C for H2S or CO sensors (for example) is acceptable, but repeated incidents will result in evaporation of the electrolyte and shifts in the baseline (zero) reading and slower response.  

Exposure to extremely high gas concentrations can also compromise sensor performance. Electrochemical sensors are typically tested by exposure to as much as ten-times their design limit. Sensors constructed using high quality catalyst material should be able to withstand such exposures without changes to chemistry or long-term performance loss. Sensors with lower catalyst loading may suffer damage. 

The most considerable influence on sensor life is humidity. The ideal environmental condition for electrochemical sensors is 20˚Celsius and 60% RH (relative humidity). When the ambient humidity increases beyond 60%RH water will be absorbed into the electrolyte causing dilution. In extreme cases the liquid content can increase by 2-3 times, potentially resulting in leakage from the sensor body, and then through the pins. Below 60%RH water in the electrolyte will begin to de-hydrate. The response time may be significantly extended as the electrolyte or dehydrated. Sensor electrodes can in unusual conditions be poisoned by interfering gases that adsorb onto the catalyst or react with it creating by-products which inhibit the catalyst. 

Extreme vibration and mechanical shocks can also harm sensors by fracturing the welds that bond the platinum electrodes, connecting strips (or wires in some sensors) and pins together. 

‘Normal’ life expectancy of electrochemical Sensor  

Electrochemical sensors for common gases such as carbon monoxide or hydrogen sulphide have an operational life typically stated at 2-3 years. More exotic gas sensor such as hydrogen fluoride may have a life of only 12-18 months. In ideal conditions (stable temperature and humidity in the region of 20˚C and 60%RH) with no incidence of contaminants, electrochemical sensors have been known to operate more than 4000 days (11 years). Periodic exposure to the target gas does not limit the life of these tiny fuel cells: high quality sensors have a large amount of catalyst material and robust conductors which do not become depleted by the reaction. 

Products  

As electrochemical sensors are more economical, We have a range of portable products and fixed products that use this type of sensor to detect gases.  

To explore more, visit our technical page for more information. 

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What is a Pellistor (Catalytic Beads)? 

Pellistor sensors consist of two matched wire coils, each embedded in a ceramic bead. Current is passed through the coils, heating the beads to approximately 230˚C. The 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 the resistance change, so gas concentration as a percentage of its lower explosive limit (% LEL*) can be accurately determined. Flammable gas burns on the bead and the additional heat generated produces an increase in coil resistance which is measured by the instrument to indicate gas concentration. Pellistor sensors are widely used throughout industry including on oil rigs, at refineries, and for underground construction purposes such as mines, and tunnels. 

Benefits of Pellistor Sensors?

Pellistor sensors are relatively low in cost due to differences in the level of technology in comparison to the more complex technologies like IR sensors, however, they may be required to be replaced more frequently. With a linear output corresponding to the gas concentration, correction factors can be used to calculate the approximate response of pellistors to other flammable gases, which can make pellistors a good choice when there are multiple flammable gases and vapours present. 

Factors affecting Pellistor Sensor Life

The two main factors that shorten the sensor life include exposure to high gas concentration and poisoning or inhibition of the sensor. Extreme mechanical shock or vibration can also affect the sensor life.  

The capacity of the catalyst surface to oxidise the gas reduces when it has been poisoned or inhibited. Sensor lifetimes of up to ten years is known in some applications where inhibiting or poisoning compounds are not present. Higher power pellistors have larger beads, hence more catalyst, and that greater catalytic activity ensures less vulnerability to poisoning. More porous beads allow easier access of the gas to more catalyst allowing greater catalytic activity from a surface volume instead of just a surface area. Skilled initial design and sophisticated manufacturing processes ensure maximum bead porosity. 

Strength of the bead is also of great importance since exposure to high gas concentrations (>100% LEL) may compromise sensor integrity causing cracking. Performance is affected and often offsets in the zero/base-line signal result. Incomplete combustion results in carbon deposits on the bead: the carbon ‘grows’ in the pores and causes mechanical damage or just gets in the way of gas reaching the pellistor. The carbon may however be burned off over time to re-reveal catalytic sites.  

Extreme mechanical shock or vibration can in rare cases cause a break in the pellistor coils. This issue is more prevalent on portable rather than fixed-point gas detectors as they are more likely to be dropped, and the pellistors used are lower power (to maximise battery life) and thus use more delicate thinner wire coils. 

What happens when a Pellistor is poisoned? 

A poisoned pellistor remains electrically operational but may fail to respond to gas as it will not produce an output when exposed to flammable gas. This means a detector would not go into alarm, giving the impression that the environment is safe.  

Compounds containing silicon, lead, sulphur, and phosphates at just a few parts per million (ppm) can impair pellistor performance.  Therefore, whether it’s something in your general working environment, or something as harmless as cleaning equipment or hand cream, bringing it near to a pellistor could mean you are compromising your sensor’s effectiveness without even realising it. 

Why are silicones bad? 

Silicones have their virtues, but they may be more common than you first thought. Some examples include sealants, adhesives, lubricants, and thermal and electrical insulation. Silicones, have the ability to poison a sensor on a pellistor at extremely low levels, because they act cumulatively a bit at a time.  

Products  

Our portable products all use low power portables pellistor beads. This prolongs battery life but can make them prone to poisoning. Which is why we offer alternatives that do not poison, such as the IR and MPS sensors. Our fixed products use a porous high energy fixed pellistor. 

To explore more, visit our technical page for more information.

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Connected safety – Gas Safety Insights for Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS)

In most organisations, roles related to environment, health and safety (EHS) focus heavily on risk reduction. There may be compliance responsibilities interwoven with this − EHS staff are often tasked with implementing hazard controls and may be responsible for enforcing and proving compliance – but above all the focus is on making things safer and healthier, and as productive as possible.

In the not-so-distant past, EHS staff in settings with gas hazards were often responsible for ensuring appropriate gas detection and training, and may have manually collated data from gas detectors, but beyond that they had relatively little data to use. It is hard to proactively drive down incidents or be certain how compliant with safety measures your workforce is, when all you know for sure is whether a detector did or did not sound an alarm.

However, the advent of the internet of things (IoT) has changed all that. Now, EHS staff can connect gas detection systems to the cloud just as they connect a fitness tracker or in-car satellite navigation system, and benefit from the many gas insights this provides. Cloud-based software applications like Crowcon Connect make it easy for EHS staff to identify problems with specific devices (and users!), track and schedule maintenance, automate many aspects of compliance audit and trouble-shoot recurrent problems.

What does connected safety mean for EHS personnel?

In a word: data. Connecting gas monitoring systems to the cloud allows EHS personnel to gather actionable insights (data) from their detector fleet, which they can act upon to improve safety. These include the ‘traditional’ elements such as time in/out of use, exposure levels and alarms sounded, but go far beyond these to include information about individuals’ use of the device (for example, the extent to which an individual/group uses the detector correctly) and where devices are at any given time.

With Crowcon Connect, the ability to use quick user assignment allows EHS staff to optimise their data by linking a specific device with a known user, each and every time, regardless of whether the device is assigned to an individual long term or is part of a pool.

What is quick user assignment?

In this context, quick user assignment is the ability to link or associate a specified user with a specified device, in a swift and straightforward way. For example, Crowcon Connect can use the RFID tags in a user’s ID badge to link them to a given device. This has dual benefits: firstly, the EHS staff know that the information on that device relates to a named individual and secondly, they can trust the data because it is collected and archived automatically, with no risk of human error.

How will connected safety work? Who will it work for?

Connected safety works for the entire organisation; when deployed strategically it can increase safety, improve staff morale and provide a wealth of information about productivity, the working environment and compliance. For EHS staff in particular, a good cloud software package for their gas detector fleet maximises and automates the collection of data while reducing the risk of human error in data capture – this is not only vital to ensure safety, but also makes it far easier to collate the records required at any compliance audit, and reduces the burden of manual (error-prone) documentation. And, when devices are pre-assigned to specific workers, the monitoring of compliance becomes both more accurate and straightforward.

Interested in learning more? Click here to read more about Crowcon’s own cloud software solution.

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The importance of Gas Detection in the Marine Industry 

Gas detectors for vessels is a device that detects the presence of gases in ships, often as part of a safety system. SOLAS regulations XI- 1/7 requires that vessels have at least one portable gas monitor on board for oxygen and flammable gas detection. This type of equipment is used to detect a gas leak and interface with a control system so a process can be automatically shut down. 

Why is gas detection required? 

Gas detection equipment measures a gas concentration against a calibration gas which acts as a reference point. Some gas detection monitors only can detect a single gas, some gas detectors can detect several toxic or combustible gases and even combinations within one device. 

Marine applications often generate high humidity and dirty conditions. Detection is required from O2 monitoring in cargo room exhausts, to monitoring flammable and toxic gases within various void spaces, to pump room or cabins, fixed systems with sampling are all commonly used in marine settings. 

Gas detection is required within the marine industry due to the high temperature surfaces housed in an engine room, as well as the short circuit in the electrical system. Both factors combine with smoking or other domestic sources of fire or a reaction in the cargo, leave ships extremely vulnerable to fires. Gas detection is therefore a vital piece of equipment in protecting the lives of those who work on these vessels. This is key as many seafarers lose their lives every year due to the toxic working environment, they work in. Therefore, detecting such hazards before they become fatal, is essential to contain the damage which can take the form a disaster, meaning gas detection is one of the most important pieces of equipment on a marine vessel. 

What are the gas hazards? 

There are several different gas hazards, dependant on the vessel type, such as FPSO (floating, production, storage, and offloading), tankers, ferries, submarines, general or cargo tanks.  

FPSO and tankers house flammable gases and hydrogen sulphide. Therefore, there is a gas hazard risk of flammable gas leaks within the pump rooms. Gas hazards in confined spaces are another hazard, as there may be inerted tanks or voids, which therefore may be too much or too little oxygen in these confined space environments and where inerting gases are stored. There are also hydrocarbon oxygen risks during the purging of tanks (from %Volume to %LEL (Lower Explosive Limit)).  

  • Carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrous oxide (NOx) are housed on ferries as a result of the accumulation from vehicle exhausts, as both are poisonous gases, they are both gas hazards to be aware of.  
  • Submarines house hydrogen within battery rooms. Along with CO2 leaks from air conditioning systems. 
  • On general vessels, CO and NOx are present engine rooms. Along with hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and O2 being depleted in bilges, that arise from the on-board sewage treatment plant. Vessels that carry food produce, such as grain, will sometimes be at risk of H2S. 
  • Cargo Tanks house vapour emission control systems which are used to analyze waste vapour gas for oxygen gas content. The system includes a pressure transmitter to monitor the pressure on the waste vapour line. 

Marine standards 

Products installed on any marine vessel must comply with internationally recognized regulations. Therefore, the international standard that applies to a vessel depend upon where it is registered. It is essential that products sold for use on a vessel comply with the standards relevant to the country in which the ship is registered. For example, products fitted to a European-registered vessel undergoing a re-fit in Singapore must comply with the European MED (Marine Equipment Directive) directive. 

There are several different standards that comply to different regions: 

  • EU (European Union) countries: MED (Marine Equipment Directive 96/98/EC). 
  • North America: US Coast Guard (USCG) regulations. 
  • Other countries: SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations provide the minimum requirements, however individual countries will require compliance with the standards of their chosen marine insurance body (e.g., BV, DNV etc). 

Why use detectors? 

Gas detectors measure and specify the concentration of specific gases within the air via different technologies. 

Gas meters are also used on-board ships to measure the hydrocarbon content, explosion hazard risk, and the oxygen analyzers. Under the current guidelines cargo tanks or any enclosed space on-board the ship must be tested to ensure that the space is gas-free along with ample amount of oxygen for any required personnel to work there. These circumstances include; prior to starting any repair work or before loading as quality control. 

To find out more,  have a look at our Introduction to the Marine Industry or visit our industry page.  

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Connected safety – Fleet Health Monitoring for Multi-Site Fleets 

As you are no doubt aware, most gas detectors require periodic maintenance and testing, if their owners are to comply with gas safety regulations and keep their workforce safe. As you are also no doubt aware, some organisations have large numbers of gas detectors (often referred to as a fleet or fleets of devices) and keeping track of the maintenance requirements for each and every one of these can be a major headache. If the business operates from multiple sites, and especially if gas monitors move between those sites, this problem is greatly magnified. 

What is Fleet Health Monitoring? 

Many companies still manage their device fleets manually, using spreadsheets to track the location, status and calibration schedule of each detector. This is repetitive and often tedious work that takes staff away from more productive tasks. Manual management is also, frankly, inefficient. It may just about suffice for basic elements like tracking which device is where (although even that becomes cumbersome when very large numbers are involved). But when managers also need to know which devices are out of battery so cannot be used on the next shift, and which ones are showing signs of wear and tear (and they should know these things) then the data becomes too overwhelming for manual methods to handle. 

In these circumstances, it is all too easy for devices to go missing or for somebody to arrive on shift and find that the detector allocated to them is out of battery. The good news is that now, connected safety initiatives such as cloud software applications can remove these problems entirely and make fleet device management much more straightforward and efficient, even across multiple sites. 

How does it work and what are the requirements? 

Cloud software applications for gas detector fleets, such as Crowcon Connect, automatically transfer and process the gas data from gas detectors, and store it securely in the cloud in useful formats. This data includes not just exposure information, readings and times, but also more detailed information about the way in which devices are used (i.e., the extent of compliance with regulations) and who was using the device at each point (it is very easy to associate a specific user with a specific device in Crowcon Connect, for example, even if that device is part of a fleet or pool).  

Crowcon Connect can also be tailored to suit the specific requirements of a business or site, and authorised users can access the dashboard from any location, at any time. All you need is a connected device (including mobile devices; many people use their smartphones or tablets). Access can also be restricted by fleet or team, to maintain privacy where required. 

What are the benefits? 

Crowcon Connect has a user-friendly dashboard that displays user information, alarm and exposure data, device locations, dates when calibration/maintenance is due, user information and a host of other data, all in an easy-to-use format. It gives managers a panoramic view of the entire fleet, regardless of where each devices is located or has been used, and that information can be used to make safety, compliance and productivity gains and identify areas for improvement.  

This type of cloud software can also drive up safety standards, because now managers can see at a glance which devices are out of battery and cannot be used in the next shift, and/or which require maintenance. That maintenance and calibration can also be planned in ways that minimise downtime, because the dashboard lets users see the relevant dates in advance. 

What is more, because the data is collected automatically, the risk of human error is eliminated and Crowcon Connect can deliver trustworthy, complete documents that are ready for use in any compliance or safety audit.  

Want to find out more? Click here to read more about Crowcon’s own cloud software solution. 

 

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