Mapping Gas and Flame Detectors to Deliver Accurate Coverage

Determining the proper location layout for hazardous gas
detectors is key to ensuring an acceptable level of safety.

MSA is committed to supporting operators of industrial facilities in their efforts to promote safe work environments that benefit employees, contractors and the community. Devices and instruments for flame and hazardous gas detection and monitoring are a part of the MSA family of safety products.

The ability to detect the presence and level of gases that may be hazardous is incorporated in physical devices and their function is well understood. The challenge faced by plant and facility operators is determining the locations for sensing devices throughout the facility that will provide an effective level of protection. MSA has a flame and gas mapping solution that employs quantitative models and actual facility conditions to provide a high level of confidence that overall target performance for flame and gas detection is achieved.

More information is provided in the document included below. Share your flame and gas detection challenges with the experts. Leverage your own knowledge and experience with their product application resources and develop a successful solution.

Gas and Flame Detector Mapping from Instrument Specialties, Inc.

Refrigerant Leakage Monitor for Multiple Refrigerants

Monitoring HVAC machinery spaces for the presence of leaked refrigerant is driven by compliance, economic and safety concerns. Refrigerant gas can displace oxygen and lead to unbreathable atmosphere in enclosed spaces. On the economic front, refrigerant is expensive, and leakage must be replaced. Additionally, slowly leaking refrigerant will eventually result in system charge levels that negatively impact system operation and performance.

The MSA Chillgard 5000 monitors the levels of up to six selected refrigerants, providing alerts in the machine space, as well as an external alarm and activation of mechanical ventilation. The sensing technology can detect levels as low as 1 ppm, providing earliest possible warning of an alert condition.

The short video demonstrates the features of the unit that deliver reliability, versatility, stability and ease of operation and maintenance. Share your refrigeration machinery room monitoring requirements and challenges with a product specialist. Leverage your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop an effective solution.

Monitoring Stormwater Runoff

Schematic of stormwater runoff station instrument and
equipment setup.
Image courtesy Teledyne/ISCO

Rain rinses the local area surfaces, cleaning them and concentrating all the soils, chemicals, and other loosened substances in stormwater runoff. The chemical composition of stormwater runoff can be complex, depending upon the activities conducted in the collection area. Stormwater runoff ultimately ends up in surface waters, rivers, lakes, streams, swamps, bays and oceans.

Stormwater runoff has been identified as a major contributor to surface water pollution. The current regulatory climate makes increasing demands on a number of local, municipal and private entities to monitor and analyze stormwater runoff to gather data that supports pollution control efforts and environmental studies.

Configuring an active stormwater collection and measurement system can be challenging. Teledyne ISCO, experts in environmental monitoring, crafted an application note that summarizes the hardware requirements for a typical system to be placed in the field. The app not is included below, but best results for a particular application or system will be achieved by sharing your environmental monitoring challenges with instrumentation specialists. Leverage your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise and develop an effective solution.

Active Stormwater Runoff Monitoring Instruments and Equipment from Instrument Specialties, Inc.

Water Quality Monitoring for Environmental Studies and Compliance

The right package of water quality instrument features
enhances effectiveness of field deployment.
Image courtesy In Situ, Inc.

There are many reasons to measure and monitor environmental water quality, chief among them compliance with local, state, or federal requirements. Other applications may call for water quality monitoring for environmental studies of various types. A sonde is an instrument used to collect water quality measurement data in the field. Whatever the issues driving a need for gathering environmental water data, selecting an instrument that combines accuracy, ruggedness, and ease of use can minimize the time and cost involved. There are a number of features to look for.

• Corrosion resistant construction that tolerates a wide range of targeted water sources.
• Minimized and simple setup procedure for quick deployment
• Low maintenance burden
• Smart sensor technology for best accuracy
• Extended measurement range for all parameters to accommodate broad range of water sources
• Low training requirement for technicians to be proficient at deploying sonde in the field
• Minimal sensor drift to increase available time in field and accuracy
• Modest or low frequency requirement for sensor calibration
• Sensor measurement stability. Higher level allows longer field deployment intervals.
• Sensors that are easily changed or replaced without need for high levels of technical training. Also allows for reconfiguring measurement scheme to target different constituents in the water.
• Sensors available for RDO, pH/ORP, turbidity, conductivity, temperature, pressure
• On board diagnostics monitor instrument operation for error
• Active and passive anti-fouling systems to automatically clean sensors, removing foreign matter that can impact measurements
• Extended field deployment time with low power consumption
• Real time data access, as well as on board data storage and other options for flexible data delivery.

These are some of the features that can result in effective data gathering and reduced manpower requirements to accomplish the task at hand. Share your water quality monitoring requirements with instrumentation specialists. Leverage your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop an effective solution.

Kammer Brand Valves Targeted at Special Applications

Control valve for severe service and high pressure drop.
Image courtesy Flowserve - Kammer

Kammer, a brand of the Flowserve Corporation, manufactures automatic control valves, with a focus on special applications. Specific products of the company are targeted at fluid control operation in applications with:

• Low temperatures, extending to cryogenic.
• High pressure, up to 60,000 psi.
• Corrosive media
• Low and micro flow
• Sanitary and aseptic requirements
• Severe service

Kammer also manufactures actuators for automating valve operation. The brochure provided below provides an overview of the Kammer product line of linear control valves for targeted applications. Share your fluid control requirements and challenges with a valve specialist and develop an effective solution by leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise.

Kammer Valve Product Overview - Control Valves from Instrument Specialties, Inc.

Continuous In-Line Measurement of Process Liquid Viscosity

In-line process viscosity measurement system.
Image courtesy Krohne, Inc.

Among the many analytical instruments from Krohne is the Viscoline process viscosity measurement system. It provides continuous in-line measurement of process liquid viscosity.

Krohne describes the operating principle...

The fluid flows through a continuous pipe containing two low pressure drop static mixers. The sensor device measures the pressure drop at both static mixers by means of two differential pressure measurements: ΔP1 and ΔP2. Precise pipe flow rate measurement is obtained from the integrated KROHNE OPTIMASS 7000 straight tube Coriolis meter which is uniquely insensitive to fluid viscosity effects. From the two pressure drop measurements and the flow rat reading, the fluid flow parameters are processed in the system, and the pipeline viscosity is determined. A temperature reading can be useful for thermal correction when a reference measurement is required. Such correction requires laboratory thermal characterization or dual measurement.

For solutions to your process measurement and control challenges, share them with an instrumentation specialist. Leverage your own process knowledge and experience with their product application expertise.

In-Line Process Viscosity Measurement from Instrument Specialties, Inc.

Zero Bleed Pneumatic Controller for Industrial Valves

The PICO consists of a single logic control head

and a digital filter booster

Image courtesy Bifold - Rotork

A true zero bleed pneumatic position controller for valve actuators is available under the Bifold brand, part of Rotork Instruments. The product, called PICO, consists of a single logic control head and a digital filter booster. The control head unit provides bluetooth communications, ESD monitoring and control, graphic display, integral valve feedback measurement, low power modes, a partial stroke test feature and local control setting switch. The properly installed assembly is suitable for use in hazardous locations.

The PICO installed on a pneumatically
actuated valve.
Image courtesy Bifold - Rotork

The new control unit is capable of fulfilling applications employing positional control, on/off and ESD (emergency shutdown) valves. The filter booster allows the small size of the PICO to deliver the flow rate of a substantially larger system of conventional design.

The PICO provides a number of operational benefits to pneumatic actuated valve applications. More information is available from product application specialists, with whom you should share your valve control and actuation challenges to get positive and effective solutions.