The Monitor - Gas and Flame Detection News

Feature Article:.

Minimize Downtime with New Remote Gas Calibrator
By Ardem Antabian, Product Line Manager

In oil/gas and petrochemical production, refining, transportation and distribution facilities, safety is always of paramount concern due to the combustible nature of hydrocarbon-based products. All such facilities must install combustible gas monitoring systems to protect people and equipment. After selecting and installing catalytic bead sensors, maintenance is an ongoing task that requires periodic attention to ensure a safe work environment.

Maintenance Requirements
Even the best of safety monitoring equipment requires periodic inspection. There must be a maintenance plan in place with documented procedures, a regular schedule of inspections, repair or replacement activity as necessary, problem reporting, etc. It is important to train employees to know when inspection is necessary and what type of maintenance procedures must be performed on a specific type or model of gas detector.

Catalytic type combustible gas detectors require a routine ìcheckî every 90 days under normal operating conditions. To verify the proper operation of a catalytic gas sensor, it is necessary to apply a known concentration of gas to the sensor. This is usually done manually at the site with gas supplied from a small lecture bottle. As the sensor reacts to the calibration gas, adjustments are made to the monitoring system to bring its calibration into agreement with the known concentration of the calibration gas. This is a simple process and usually requires 1-3 minutes.

Learn more about calibrating catalytic bead sensors, even in extreme environments...