The Importance of Gas Detection

Where and why is gas detection important?

This list is by no means exhaustive, but here are some examples of industries where gas detection is a crucial part of testing, quality assurance, and health and safety:

Fire service Oil & gas Aviation & marine Food and beverage production Water treatment Iron / steel production Construction

Mining Nuclear Agriculture Pharmaceuticals Chemical Welding Manufacturing

Gas detection equipment is used to monitor and alarm when a hazardous environment is detected.  Other applications include gas leak detection and atmospheric monitoring. The correct setup of gas detection equipment can save lives, but this equipment, like any other, needs to be properly maintained and itself tested to perform as needed. Non-refillable gas canisters from Air Products are used to either calibrate gas detection equipment or 'bump/function' test them to ensure they would alarm when exposed to a dangerous environment. 

Let’s go through a few examples in more detail.

Petrochemical

Overview

The petrochemical industry takes raw organic materials and converts them into useful chemicals such as methanol, ethylene, propylene and more. These chemicals are used in the manufacturing of many commercial products including plastics, clothing, construction materials, and other derived chemicals. Potential hazards can occur during the exploration and production of organic materials, their transport, and during refinement, so it is important to equip areas and personnel with the correct safety equipment. One vital inclusion is gas detection equipment to continuously check and ensure a safe working environment.

Gases Detection

Many of the mechanical, chemical and manufacturing processes involved in the petrochemical industry have the potential to release dangerous concentrations of gases (many undetectable by sight or smell) into operating spaces. Build-up of flammable gases carries the risk of fire or explosion, while toxic chemicals can poison workers or cause breathing difficulties.

Here are a few examples of these hazardous gases and their potential effects:

• Carbon monoxide can lead to poisoning and create an explosive risk in combination with other gases
• Hydrogen Sulphide is a flammable gas and can also cause breathing difficulties that can be fatal
• Sulphur dioxide is a poisonous gas causing severe irritation and breathing difficulties
• Methane is a highly flammable gas which, when inhaled, can result in mood changes, slurred speech, vision problems, memory loss, nausea, vomiting, headache, changes in breathing and heart rate, unconsciousness and even death
• Other risks can be posed by oxygen depletion, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

As well as good ventilation, gas detection in the petrochemical industry is essential for monitoring and reducing these hazards. Gas detection equipment can be either fixed or portable, depending on the working location and what is being detected.

Welding

Overview

Welding involves melting two pieces of metal together, using extreme heat (and sometimes pressure) in order to permanently fuse them. Both the gases released from the process and the shielding gases used need to be monitored for health and safety reasons, and to avoid wastage.  Gasdetection is vital for welding workshops, and there are regulations stating expectedstandards and limits that companies must adhere to.

Gases detected

There are many different types of welding, different techniques and combinations of metal, wire and gas have different health and safety considerations.

The main hazard to health from weldinggases is asphyxiation, caused by the reduction of oxygen levels in the atmosphere, usually as a result of too high a concentration of gas accumulating in a confined space. Undetectable by sight or smell, the quantity of these gases must be monitored to ensure worker safety.

Depending on the technique, the following gases can be generated by the welding process:

• Carbon monoxide and Carbon dioxide which are asphyxiant
• Nitrous gases which are highly toxic, irritating gases and with severe over-exposure can lead to death
• Ozone which can cause irritation of the upper airways and in severe cases lead to lung damage
• Other organic elements and solvents in welding materials can break down and release toxic fume or particulates, which may not have set exposure limits but may still be hazardous to health
• Some of these chemicals listed above also create a fire safety issue.

To reduce risks from welding gases, workshops need to be well designed, with good ventilation systems, and fixed and/or portable gas detection equipment appropriate for the type of gases that could be released. Oxygen deficiency/enrichment monitors are also an option.

How Air Products can help

Calibration gases from Air Products can be used as comparison standards in the calibration of the detection equipment. By testing using a known standard, you can check if the instruments are reading accurately. Bump testing with calibration gases will demonstrate whether the sensors and alarms on your equipment are responding at the necessary concentration levels. Checking equipment to a schedule or before any particular activity is a big part of safe working practices, and preventative maintenance also helps avoid downtime.

To find out more about non-refillable gas canisters and any other products and services Air Products offers, please browse our website or get in touch today on 0800 389 0202 / apukinfo@airproducts.com