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Global EMC Requirements for Gas and Flame Products
Jim Turner - Net Safety Monitoring Certifications Specialist
When certification is considered for Hazardous Location (HazLoc) products, the first thought that comes to mind is safety.
Safety has a very specific meaning in the context of HazLoc certifications - the instrument itself, by its design or construction,
must not be the cause of a safety problem or incident. Gas or flame detection instruments are capable of rapid, accurate detection
of flame or gas events that could lead to a safety incident if present in those environments. The assumption is that the gas or
flame detectors will work as intended in a hazardous location under any condition, normal or abnormal. What is not generally
considered is the electromagnetic environment in which these devices are expected to function reliably.
Radio Frequency (RF) energy can also affect safety by interfering with the intended function of a gas or flame detector,
causing false readings, spurious alarms and other serious malfunctions.
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Powering Safety Systems - Giving Yourself Significant Power "Head-room" Is Good Practice When Installing Safety Instrumentation
One of the most common sources of Fire and Gas detection system failure is power supply interruption and disturbance.
Power supply specifications of an instrument refer to the voltage that must appear at the instrument power terminals,
not the power supply rated output. There are many factors that impact voltage reaching the fire or gas detector, any
one of which may cause an unwanted shutdown or damage to the instrument. The most fundamental factor to consider is
wire resistance between the power supply and the device but there many other factors.
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Smoke & Oil Mist Detection Safeguards Against a Dangerous Visitor in Gas Compressor Stations
Lubrication oil is often circulated through natural gas compressors to provide cooling and to prevent engine wear.
The lube oil system is pressurized and as a result there is a high risk potential for leakage. When leaks occur the
lube oil often sprays into the atmosphere producing an oil mist or atomized cloud. The mist not only creates an expensive,
time consuming clean-up project but more importantly can produce highly toxic smoke or burst into explosive flame upon
contact with hot surfaces or engine spark ignitions.
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Integrated Gas Detection On Vacuum/Pressure Washer Rigs
Vacuum trucks are often used to remove water around sub-surface pipes (or any type of underground equipment) in the oil
and gas industry to conduct maintenance. Quite often, this water is contaminated with hydrocarbons (and potentially
entrained H2S), and there is an inherent risk of gas release when the water is being moved. In the case of a gas release,
the truck itself would present a source of ignition.
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Safety Integrity Level (SIL) - IEC 61508/61511 Overview
Safety Integrity Level (SIL) is defined as a relative level of risk-reduction provided by a safety function, or to specify a target level
of risk reduction. In (somewhat) simple terms, SIL is a measurement of performance or probability of failure on demand (PFD)
required for a Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) within a Safety Instrumented System (SIS) based on the ANSI/ISA 84, IEC 61508, and
IEC 61511 standards.
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Gas Detection On Off-Shore Platforms
Twenty years ago, fire swept through the Piper Alpha oil rig in the
Scottish sector of the North Sea. Panic and confusion were the order
of the day as the doomed installation buckled into the frigid water.
One of the findings in a public inquiry into the disaster, headed by
Lord Cullen, who is one of Scotland's senior judges, was that the gas
detection system alarmed before the explosion. The explosion cost
the life of 167 men and insured loss of $1.7 billion (US$ 3.4 billion).
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Utilizing Nano Technology Greatly Improves Metal Oxide Sensor Performance
Advanced work in chemi-resistive sensing has been in the area
of nanoengineered grain structures. The Net Safety metal oxide
H2S sensor, available with our next generation gas detector,
the Millennium II, shows a substantial performance increase as
oxide grain size is reduced to the "nano" level. This "nano" effect,
in conjunction with advances in materials chemistry produce
highly reliable sensors for detection of a wide range of toxic
and flammable gases.
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SIL Certified/Rated Fire And Gas Systems - Device Selection
When selecting a detection device to achieve a Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) within a Fire and Gas System (FGS), there are
many options in the marketplace. Various statements are made by device manufacturers as to the suitability of their product
including "Certified to SIL X", "SIL X Rated", "FIT for Use in SIL X", "Suitability Level SIL X" or "Compliant to SIL X". Understandably,
this has caused a certain amount of confusion for end users.
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Functional Safety And SIL - What It Means To The Customer
The adoption of functional safety standards continues to grow rapidly worldwide. This trend is especially evident in process
industries. Risk factors such as injury to personnel, production down time, environmental damage, litigation costs and tarnished
corporate image have become more visible. At the same time, tolerance of these risks has decreased. Organizations are rapidly
realizing the benefi ts of having high performance instruments that integrate seamlessly into the overall Safety Instrumented
System (SIS).
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Advancing the Art of Optical Path Verification in Infrared Flame Detectors
This paper outlines the purpose of the Visual Integrity (VI) test feature on optical flame detectors, and
how Net Safety Monitoring is advancing the technology in order to virtually eliminate the occurrence of
false fault alarms.
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 COMPANY PROFILE
WHITEPAPERS &
TECHNICAL BULLETINS
CAREERS @ NSM
ISO 9001:2008
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Net Safety Acquired by Emerson Process
The acquisition expands Emerson's capabilities to provide comprehensive process controls
and safety monitoring for the toughest industrial environments....
more info
Market-Leading Warranties Announced
Warranty extension on the Phoenix Triple IR Flame Detector to a market-leading 7 Years as
well as a 5 Year warranty on Millennium II Series gas sensors...
more info
Millennium II Gas Detector - Next Generation Smart Platform
Net-Safety's next generation, Millennium II, delivers an innovative, explosion-proof multi-channel transmitter packaged with "SMART" sensor technology to provide versatility, reliability, and enhanced performance...
more info
Net Safety Announces SIL 2 Rating For Triple IR
Net Safety Monitoring Inc., is pleased to announce that the Phoenix Triple IR flame detector has attained a SIL2 rating by TUV SUD for use in a high-demand or continuous mode of operation...
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