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.

Leave a reply

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.

Leave a reply

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.

Leave a reply

The Benefits of ‘Hot Swappable’ Sensors

What are ‘Hot Swappable’ Sensors?

Hot swappable sensors allow for the replacement or addition of components to a device without the need for stopping, shutting down or rebooting the production process, thus allowing for high productivity and efficiency.

Other benefits of ‘Hot swappable’ sensors

Another benefit is that it eliminates the need for hot work permits. Hot work is regularly undertaken during construction and maintenance projects and is a high-risk activity that requires careful and active risk management. These environments pose a significant risk of fire as well as safety. Hot swappable sensors are designed to avoid these potential problems entirely.

Why are they important?

Some gas detection products are designed to go into zoned areas where there can be flammable (explosive) gas present. Therefore, in environments such as a refinery, if you were to disconnect normal electronics, it usually would cause a small spark, and this is a risk as it could potentially lead to a fire or explosion. However, if the electronics have been designed so there is not a spark and have been approved as “not capable of causing an spark” by the certifying authority, these products can be disconnected and reconnected even in an explosive atmosphere without fear of sparking, ensuring that those working in these environments are kept safe.

It is possible to calibrate hot swappable sensors outside a zoned area and thus allow a rapid swapping exercise instead of a far longer calibration process. Thus, the operator need spend only a fraction of the time in the zoned area substantially avoiding personal risk.

Products with ‘Hot Swappable’ Sensors

XgardIQ is a fixed detector and transmitter compatible with Crowcon’s full range of sensor technologies. Available fitted with a variety of sensors for fixed flammable, toxic, oxygen or H2S gas detection. Providing analogue 4-20mA and RS-485 Modbus signals as standard, XgardIQ is optionally available with Alarm and Fault relays and HART communications. The 316 stainless steel is available with three M20 or 1/2“NPT cable entries. (SIL-2) Safety integrity level 2 certified fixed detector.

Find out more

Leave a reply

Annual Calibration for Optimal Flue Gas Analyzer Performance

For many heating engineers, the flue gas analyser/combustion analyzer is vital kit; so much so, that most would have problems working without one. However, calibration and servicing generally require the engineer to send the analyser away for a while. That’s why, when the annual calibration date comes around again, some find themselves tempted to put it off, just for a while …

Please ignore that temptation. It is absolutely vital to get your flue gas analyser calibrated every year, and failing to do so could cost you your job – or worse. Prompt annual calibration is simply not negotiable, and in this blog post we’ll explore the reasons why.

Annual certification required

A flue gas analyser is safety equipment and its accuracy may be – quite literally – a matter of life or death. The sensors inside flue gas analysers react with the gasses they detect and degrade slightly over time. Compiled over the course of a years active use, the degradation can lead to inaccuracies in the readings. Additionally, like any equipment, things can go wrong and parts can fail; that’s why all flue gas analyser manufacturers require an annual certificate of calibration, and the impact of not having one can be legally, financially and personally disastrous.

Imagine, for example, that an accident has occurred and somebody or something has been harmed because your flue gas analyser failed to detect an issue. If that analyser was uncertified and had not been calibrated within the time period required (which would be easy to ascertain, since gas reports have the relevant times and dates printed on them), then you and/or your employer may be held criminally and civilly liable for this, having failed to exercise your duty of care to your client.

That’s why, if your combustion analyzer is showing any signs of failure, or if your annual calibration is due, you need to book it in promptly.

What about costs?

Sometimes, engineers are tempted to put off calibration for fear of the costs. And yes, there may be charges involved due to damage or wear and tear: but what price do you put on safety (both the safety of the people you serve the security of your own job or business?) If cost is an issue, there may be ways to mitigate this. Manufacturers know that calibration is a recurring cost and some offer pre-pay options to make this easier to manage; some offer pre-pay options for parts as well. If you’re not sure whether this is the case for your device, it is worth talking to the manufacturer because the savings can be substantial.

What happens during calibration?

During its annual service and calibration, your flue gas analyser will be checked over and any components (for example, an oxygen sensor) will be replaced as required. A known concentration of certified test gas will be passed into the analyser and the instruments software will be adjusted to make sure it takes into account any drop off in sensor response and to ensure the analyser responds appropriately to all gases across the range of detection.

Don’t wait – calibrate

As you can see, calibration and any associated changes are vital to the functioning of your analyser, so you should never postpone or overlook your annual calibration: in fact, you must not use a flue gas analyser at all, once the previous calibration has expired. This applies however often (or not) you use it: the risks are the same.

To find out more, visit our dedicated HVAC page.

Leave a reply

What is Photo-ionisation Detection (PID) Technology?

Photo-ionisation detection (PID) technology is generally considered the technology of choice for monitoring exposure to toxic levels of VOCs. The sensors include a lamp as a source of high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light. The lamp encases a noble gas, most commonly krypton, and electrodes. The UV light’s energy excites the neutrally charged VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) molecules, by removing an electron.

The amount of energy needed to remove an electron from a VOC molecule is called the ionization potential (IP). The larger the molecule, or the more double or triple bonds the molecule contains, the lower the IP. Thus, in general, the larger or more fragile the molecule, the easier it is to detect.

This technology does not require use of a sinter, which might prevent the gas reaching the sensor. It is also not susceptible to poisoning by chemicals in cleaning products, or silicone, although some cleaning agents containing large fragile molecules can cause positive readings.

Benefits of PID Technology

A high number of solvent species are sensed by this technology. Books have been written detailing the PID cross calibration responses to more than 750 solvent and gas types at ppm concentrations. It does not need air to function, it does not suffer from poisons and gives minor variation for moderate changes in temperature.

PID is extremely sensitive and will respond to many different VOCs. The magnitude of the response is directly proportional to the concentration of the gas. However, 50ppm of one gas will give a different reading to 50ppm of a different gas. To cope with this, detectors are usually calibrated to isobutylene and then a correction factor is employed to get accurate readings for a target gas. Each gas has a different correction factor. Therefore, the gas must be known for the right correction factor to be applied.

Consequently, pellistor sensors and photo-ionization detectors can be considered complementary technologies for many applications. Pellistors are excellent at monitoring for methane, propane, and other common combustible gases at %LEL (Lower Explosive Limit) levels. On the other hand, PID detects large VOC and hydrocarbon molecules that may be virtually undetectable by pellistor sensors, certainly in the parts-per-million range required to alert to toxic levels. Thus, the best approach in many environments is a multi-sensor instrument equipped with both technologies.

PID sensor technology is very versatile and can be used, for example, for clearance measurements during shutdowns in the chemical and petrochemical industries, monitoring operations in shafts and enclosed spaces, detecting leaks and many other applications.

Factors that affect PID Technology and their problems

Lack of voltage to the sensor affects the function of a PID sensor, also extremely high humidity, or particle densities. Also, the lamps last 2 years, but they will not last for 3 so the output must be monitored to check it has not gone into a fault condition.

The problems with this sensor are limited to age related issues.

Lamps age, voltage stacks work less well when they get dusty
Some common gas types have zero response, e.g., methane and propane. The risk assessment needs to show the gas types expected have a response. If this information is not known for a gas type, then our website or customer support personnel can help.
PID sensors are the highest cost sensors we use in our products. They are good, but with the quality comes the cost.

How do I know when the technology is failing?

The results drop from the pedestal value sensed by out PID bearing products, causing our instrumentation to go into fault.

Products

Our portable and fixed products are fitted with PID sensors that will detect large VOC and hydrocarbon molecules that may be virtually undetectable by pellistor sensors, certainly in the parts-per-million range required to alert to toxic levels.

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

Leave a reply

Do more with less: streamline device maintenance and improve safety

Managing a fleet of gas detectors is a complex business, especially if you’re still relying on manual methods and human search to find records. Thankfully, cloud computing and in particular connected gas safety solutions like our own Crowcon Connect can make light work of what are otherwise overwhelming workloads: and they can make your outcomes better, too.

In previous posts (here, here and here) we have explored the nature of connected safety solutions and how they can improve operational and business outcomes, drive up safety and reduce costs. In this post we will see how connected gas safety solutions make light work of fleet and device maintenance and improve safety and other outcomes.

The challenges of device management

Most organisations that use portable gas monitors have multiple devices. In some settings – for example where sites are widely distributed or the organisation rents out device fleets to other businesses – these numbers can run into many hundreds. What is more, each device might be sent to multiple locations at various times, and used by a range of different people.

Historically, this has made the task of tracking and maintaining those detectors incredibly complex, resource-intensive and time consuming. Traditionally the types of record kept – calibration due dates, maintenance schedules, event data, location and user IDs – have been entered manually onto spreadsheets, or even paper.

And when that information has been needed for audit, maintenance activities or any other purpose, some poor person in an office has sifted through the records to find and collate the information required, hoping that human error hasn’t compromised the data quality.

Not only is this time consuming and liable to take highly-skilled people away from their specialist work, it also introduces multiple risks to the process. With manual or even merely hard-to-search records there is always the risk that a vital indicator – an overdue calibration date, a failed sensor, a dangerous event – can be overlooked. In some cases, data may not be recorded, or be entered inaccurately.

Not only does this make efficient fleet management almost impossible, but it also ramps up the risk of catastrophe.

Connected gas safety insights transform operations and protocols

Connected safety makes device management much more straightforward, accurate and resource efficient.

It achieves this by clearly linking each device with its named user at the start of every work session and then, when the detector is returned to its docking station or charger, it pulls data directly from each gas detector into the connected safety portal (and logs off the user). In the portal, that data is automatically sorted and aggregated and presented in user-friendly formats according to need.

That means no more manual record keeping or report collation for compliance audits, no risk of incorrect information, no missed calibrations or bump tests (the system can flag these up for you), no more failing or faulty devices missed.

If you’d like to see this in action, please have a look at our interactive online demo of Crowcon Connect.

Connected gas safety solutions let you keep and easily search detailed, reliable records. They make exceptions easily and immediately visible, which lets you accurately assess (and then reduce) risk.

Because they boost data gathering, insight analysis and record keeping, and present data through highly accessible dashboards that are easily configured to show multiple perspectives, connected safety solutions give you a 360-degree overview of your gas safety operations that is available 24/7/365.

Maximising device lifespan and asset management

Connected safety solutions can also help to extend the life of your gas detectors and improve your asset management. Generally, this improves efficiency and reduces costs.

For example, gas detectors rely on their sensors and in every case, those sensors will ultimately fail. All sensors must be replaced eventually – but replacing them too early (when they have plenty of life left) is inefficient and costly. Crowcon Connect keeps you informed about all factors that affect device function, including sensor life, which allows you to replace sensors only when you need to.

Most devices suffer wear and tear, and potentially terminal damage to a portable gas detector can be hard to spot. That’s why you should be conducting regular maintenance and testing. A connected safety solution makes this simple, because it logs and flags maintenance due dates. And because you get ample warning, you can intelligently structure and plan your maintenance schedule to avoid busy periods, minimising disruption and costs.

With a connected safety solution, you can instantly see which devices are good to go and which need attention. And you can easily keep on top of maintenance, so it becomes easier to streamline the number of devices you need – because you can always be confident of having a sufficient number available.

For example, if you currently have enough portable detectors for every member of your workforce, a connected safety system may let you reduce that fleet to approximately the maximum number required at any given time. The connected system’s 360-degree view and alerts will help you to keep the maximum number of devices ready for use, and Crowcon Connect’s ability to quickly link devices to named users and locations will drive down detector losses.

Crowcon Connect is a gas safety and compliance insight solution that helps you to streamline fleet management by gathering insights from across the device fleet and presenting these in practical, useful forms. If you’d like to learn more about the ways Crowcon Connect can make light work of managing your fleet(s) of portable gas detectors, why not check out our white paper on that very subject?

Leave a reply

Sprint Pro on Biofuel Applications

Unlike fossil fuels, biofuels are man-made fuels created using plant-based renewable resources often known as biomass. As biofuels are renewable, they help to reduce the net amount of CO₂ entering the atmosphere from combustion-powered vehicles and other energy users. All petrol and diesel fuels sold in the UK are obliged to contain a certain percentage of biofuel (10% bio ethanol in petrol and 7% biodiesel in diesel) in order to help meet wider emissions targets.

What is biofuel?

Different from other renewable energy sources, biomass can be converted directly into liquid fuels known as biofuels. The two most familiar types of biofuels are ethanol and biodiesel, both of which are first-generation biofuel technology.

Ethanol

Ethanol (CH₃CH₂OH) is a renewable fuel that can be produced from a variety of plant materials, collectively known as biomass. Ethanol is an alcohol that is used as a blending agent to replace a percentage of gasoline, making a mixture. It has the added bonusses of reducing carbon monoxide and other smog-forming emissions.

In the modern world where cleaner fuel is the future, the most common blend is E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline), legally mandated as the composition of unleaded petrol in the UK from September 2021. Some modern vehicles have been designed to run on E85. This is a gasoline-ethanol blend containing between 51% and 85% ethanol, the exact composition being dependent on geography and the season. This is an alternative fuel with much higher ethanol ratio compared to that of regular gasoline. It is sold in approximately 2% of the filling stations in the United States, and overall, roughly 97% of gasoline in the United States contains some ethanol.

Most of the ethanol is produced from plant starches and sugars, but development is continuing in technologies that would permit the use of cellulose and hemicellulose, a non-edible fibrous material that constitutes the bulk of plant matter, and there are now several commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol biorefineries currently operational in the United States. The common method for converting biomass into ethanol is through fermentation, when microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and yeast) metabolise plant sugars and produce ethanol.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a liquid fuel constructed from renewable sources, such as new and used vegetable oils as well as, animal fats. This type of liquid fuel is a cleaner-burning replacement for petroleum-based diesel fuel. Biodiesel is biodegradable and is made through the combination of alcohol and vegetable oil, animal fat, or recycled cooking grease.

Similar to petroleum-derived diesel, biodiesel is used to fuel compression-ignition (diesel) engines. Biodiesel has the characteristics to be blended with petroleum diesel in any ratio, and then burned as fuel in modern diesel engines. This includes B100 which is pure biodiesel, as well as the most common blend, B20, which contains 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel.

Are biofuels the future?

Although biofuels are cleaner than previous fuels, it seems unlikely that biofuels will ever be a complete replacement for petrol and diesel, though they may bridge the gap from previous fuels to future fuels. This is mainly down to the Government aiming higher for the country to be completely carbon neutral by 2050, with electric cars key to removing tailpipe emissions completely, in which Biofuels could help reduce our carbon footprint for now.

However, a more promising approach to biofuels could be that of synthetic fuels or eFuels. Petrol and diesel are known as ‘hydrocarbons’ as they contain a combination of hydrogen and carbon atoms that make up all oils. Whereas eFuels get their hydrogen from water and carbon from the air, through the combination into structures similar to that of petrol and diesel. Synthetic fuels can be created with renewable energy, and carbon captured during their creation can offset the CO₂ emissions when they are burned. Current developments suggest that eFuels may have the potential to store energy that is generated via renewable sources during times of low demand.

Sprint Pro on biofuel application

The main requirement is that the oil filter kit is needed rather than the normal kit. The oil kit filter will last through many tests that would block most tighter weaves, but it is still highly effective at preventing moisture ingress into the flue gas analyser itself, where it would cause damage to pump and sensors. Many biofuels are catered for by the Sprint Pro efficiency and safety algorithms, and more will be added as their use becomes significant. Such algorithm updates occur automatically at the annual service as part of the calibration process, meaning the users of Sprint Pro are to some extent futureproofed against changes known and also as yet unknown.

Leave a reply

Connected Safety: what are gas safety insights?

In a previous blog post, we talked about connected safety and the many benefits it brings to gas detection and the organisations that use it. We also looked at Crowcon’s own connected safety offering, Crowcon Connect, and saw how it can provide vital gas safety insights, which businesses and managers can use to improve productivity, gas detector fleet management and workplace safety.

In this post we will explore in more detail what we mean by ‘gas safety insights’, and how you can use them to achieve better outcomes across your organisation.

What are Gas Safety Insights and why do I need them?

When an organisation uses Crowcon Connect, every time a Crowcon portable gas detector is returned to its docking station (or to its charger, if the worker is off site), a comprehensive collection of gas data is immediately and automatically uploaded to the Crowcon Connect portal. This data can include:

Information about that specific device, such as type and gases being detected
Who was using it for the work session in question
Where that work session took place, and
Details of gas exposures, alarm events and detector use.

Once uploaded, this information can be combined with related information, such as:

When that specific device is due for calibration or other maintenance, and
Fleet-side faults detected per instrument

Together, these data points generate an individual profile for each device, which is useful in its own right when it comes to proving compliance, locating devices and personnel, making sure all calibrations/maintenance events are up to date and scheduling any that are due. However, the benefits of connected safety data go way beyond this.

Record, Analyse and Act on Gas Safety Insights

Not only does connected safety create a profile for each device, but in doing so it also generates a large volume of data that spans time, users at personal and team levels, locations, gas hazard event types and device fleets.

This data is organisational gold! Large volumes of timely, accurate, constantly updated and cross-organisational data allow managers to:

Spot patterns (e.g. of device loss, gas exposure, alarm incidents) from multiple perspectives such as the people, sites/locations, times of day, gas hazards and devices involved, to make informed data driven decisions quickly.
These patterns can be contextualised in time – it is easy to see if a particular issue is long-established or recent.
Events can be differentiated and compared by site/shift/date – almost any parameter you can think of is easily applied.
Data points can be combined and compared to optimise outcomes: for example, you can work out the least productive hours on a given site and schedule device downtime (e.g. calibration) for those times to minimise any loss of productivity.

All of this is possible because the accuracy and real-time nature of connected safety means that the data generated is ideal for use with predictive analytics.

Predictive analytics uses historical data to forecast future events and contexts, which allows an organisation to make truly informed decisions at all levels (for example, in terms of focus and staff recruitment/deployment) and create more intelligent strategies, such as maintenance schedules, productivity monitoring and internal processes.

In this way, connected gas safety applications generate wide-ranging gas insights (data) and when these are analysed and then acted upon they can transform performance, process and safety at multiple points within the business.

This is how Crowcon Connect helps businesses to do better through a systematic approach.

Great for Multi-Site Businesses and Fleets

Collecting high quality data and then analysing and proactively using it can help most organisations. However, connected gas safety is particularly useful for multi-site businesses and any business with widely-dispersed gas detection fleets.

For these organisations, connected gas safety also reduces much of the complexity and time involved in manual recording, and provides almost immediate savings in terms of hours spent documenting compliance, retrieving manual records and preparing for audit.

Furthermore, all organisations stand to gain from having an immediately available and real-time, birds-eye view of their devices and relevant information. Connected gas safety insights can be used to:

Schedule maintenance with the least possible downtime (minimising the cost of ownership)
Ensure that devices are always in the location required and ready for use (which makes it easier to purchase devices cost-effectively, reduces downtime due to lack of available detectors and minimises device loss)
Monitor gas levels from various perspectives (by site/team/shift time etc.) and act promptly to control them where required (which may prevent a gas-related disaster)
Monitor gas at given sites over given periods to improve environmental and sustainability outcomes and/or demonstrate improvements as needed (for example, prove that methane emissions at a given site have been reduced over time).

In this way, connected gas safety initiatives like Crowcon Connect can make a solid contribution to the profitability, safety and sustainability of businesses, their personnel and projects.

If you would like to know more about using connected gas safety insights in this way, please check out our white paper on connected safety for multi-site businesses by clicking here. You can also take a look at the Crowcon Connect pages on our website by clicking here.

Leave a reply

What is Purge Testing and when should I be doing it?

Purge testing is vital when installing, replacing or maintaining a natural gas pipeline or storage tank, or filling new pipework with flammable gas. This process uses an inert gas to clear the enclosed environment of flammable gases prior to air being introduced thereby preventing air and flammable gas mixing. Such mixtures could of course lead to explosive combustion.

What is Purge Testing?

Purge testing is a key part of the process of making a working environment safe prior to entering it to carry out work. Analysis of the atmosphere in the pipe or enclosure shows the starting point – usually 100% flammable gas. Purge testing is the measurement and reporting of the atmosphere as an inert gas is introduced. As the flammable gas declines to a safe level well below concentrations that would be dangerous in air, the atmosphere is continually analysed, and the flammable gas concentration reported. Once a low concentration has been achieved, air may be introduced. During this phase the flammable gas concentration is analysed to check it remains low, and oxygen concentration is measured to indicate when the atmosphere becomes breathable. Work may then commence – all the while protected by the measurement of flammable gas and oxygen concentration. If, as is likely, the purge testing is being carried out via suction of atmosphere through a sample tube, then this sample tube must at all times and all along its length be held above the flash point of the flammable gas in the tank. This is vital to both your safety and the safety of those working with you.

Purging removes or displaces hazardous gases from the tank or pipework to prevent them from mixing with the air you need to introduce into the tank to carry out the inspection or maintenance task. The most used and preferred purge gas is Nitrogen, due to its inert properties. After conducting the inspection or maintenance task the reverse process is carried out, reintroducing the inert gas and reducing the oxygen level to near zero prior to allowing natural gas to re-enter. Often a service valve on the line with a standpipe or diffuser attached is cracked to release the venting gas or nitrogen. Purging systems are generally designed to redirect additional gases away from the work area preventing them from remixing with the gas within the tank or pipework.

Why Conventional Gas Detection isn’t enough

Traditional gas detection systems are not designed to work in oxygen-deprived environments. This is because they are primarily designed as safety equipment with the specific purpose to detect small traces of target gases in otherwise normal breathable environments. Gas detection equipment designed for use in purge testing activities must be able to function in low oxygen environments and with all contaminants likely to be found in tanks and pipes being purge tested. If sensors can be poisoned by the contaminants present or if there isn’t enough oxygen in the air to enable the selected sensor technology to be used, it may lead to the sensors on the device producing inaccurate results, posing a threat to those working within that environment. An additional point to note to note is that certain gas combinations, concentrations and corrosive liquids may damage the gas detection equipment, rendering it useless. For these reasons, Infrared technology or thermal conductivity is usually chosen as the measurement technology of choice for purge tests. Crowcon uses infrared technology in these applications. A fortunate by-product of that design decision is better accuracy than required over the full sensing range.

More about Purge testing

Purge Testing is essential for workers as some may be breathing in toxic gases without even realising it if the sensors on their detection equipment have become defective, don’t measure the required gas type or don’t measure over the required gas range, or environmental range present. Toxic or asphyxiant gas exposure can lead to respiratory issues, significant injury, even death.

Workers cannot merely rely on a standard confined space gas detection instrument to adequately test for safe conditions during this process, as the high gas level may overwhelm or damage an LEL (Lower Explosive Limit) sensor depending upon type. Or the sensor may not function in an oxygen-depleted atmosphere leading to an unreported dangerous condition.

What products do we offer?

Our Gas-Pro TK is a specialised tank monitor that is perfect for customers who want to purge, free, or maintain storage and transportation tanks due to its integrated auto switching dual range IR sensor technology. Other sensors in the product, for example the H2S (Hydrogen Sulphide) sensor option cover other potential risks if gases vent during purging.

Leave a reply