Honeywell Analytics announces the launch of the IAQPoint—a low-cost, dual-beam Infrared indoor air quality (IAQ) monitor that measures carbon dioxide, temperature and humidity levels for demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) in office towers, schools and other large buildings.

The IAQPoint improves energy efficiency and indoor air quality through the DCV—while offering low-cost installation, multiple configuration options, threein- one sensor technology and interoperability with virtually all building automation systems.

The IAQPoint is designed for flexible, low-cost installation and trouble-free operation. It connects easily to virtually any building communication system, including BACnet, LonWorks, FLN and Modbus, through its array of analog and digital output configurations.

Sensors are configured and calibrated at the factory. The unit has a simple snap-and-slide mounting and requires little wiring and no additional electrical devices.

IAQPoint is the only indoor air quality monitor you will need to satisfy all of your demand-controlled ventilation bid requirements. It integrates easily with virtually any building automation system through its BACnet, LonWorks, FLN, Modbus or analog outputs. IAQPoint produces three sensor outputs (CO2, temperature and humidity) for the price of a typical single-sensor device.

Honeywell designed the IAQPoint to install quickly and easily with a small and sleek enclosure that utilizes a simple snap-fit mounting bracket. Each unit is configured and calibrated in the factory meaning you will spend less time installing the units. IAQPoint is ideal for large commercial buildings, schools, office towers or any environment where money can be saved through greater energy efficiency. Think of us as your partner for Indoor Air Quality / Demand Control Ventilation solutions. Honeywell Analytics. Experts in gas detection.

One of the primary advantages of the Searchline Excel is its relatively high immunity to rain and fog. A field test conducted recently by BP and DMSI at the Texas A&M Fire School provided some further evidence of just how good Excel is at ignoring water in its optical path.

The Fire School at Texas A&M University maintains a LNG test and training site that has long been equipped with Searchline Excel open path gas detectors around the perimeter to detect LNG vapors escaping from the site. The diagram (right, below) shows the site and the placement of the Excel units.

The site is used for LNG response training; and the Excels used there have performed flawlessly. Recently, a major surprise was that Texas A&M and BP had installed an additional safety device prior to the April 2006 BP LNG Response School – water curtains had been set up exactly across the path of the Excel units! The pictures to the right illustrate the placement of the water curtains.

You can see a low trickle of water and the Excel beam path in the right picture and the full effect of the water curtain in the left, visibly obscuring the other end of the Excel path.

Peacoe said, "The pictures above show the extreme obscuration caused by the water curtain and the combination of water curtain and vapor cloud. Even with these extreme levels of obscuration, the detector still responded, although a little more slowly than normal, to the presence of gas."

Answer

These facilities have had serious safety problems over the years. There have been numerous incidents resulting in multiple deaths. Some recent statistics provided by the NFPA reveals that between 1985 and 2004, there were 10 U.S. petroleum refinery fires with three or more deaths. In March of 2005, the BP Texas City Refinery explosion and fire killed 15 people and injured 200 others.

An F&G system continuously monitors heat, smoke, temperature, and toxic or combustible gas levels. If any combination of them (within a zone) exceeds a predetermined level, the system will raise the alarm and take automatic action to close operating valves and damper doors, release extinguishants, cut off electrical power and vent dangerous gases. The intended purpose of the F&G System is to protect the personnel that operate dangerous production facilities, and prevent damage to the facility itself, which can result in substantial financial loss.

The same basic rules apply to both—that is, define the hazard, identify the hazard and its frequency, instrument the hazard, calculate the risk reduction, assess the residual risk and modify the design as required to satisfy risk criterion. It should be noted that gas detection is neither comprehended in NFPA 72 nor in other process specific standards, in spite of the fact that detection of a gas release is the cornerstone upon which subsequent fire-fighting action depends. As such, the detection of combustible or toxic gas is critical to either preventing a fire, or effectively mitigating its severity. The consequences that are reduced by installing a combustible gas detection system are related to both fires and explosions.

Work is in progress by the ISA (Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society) S84 WG 6 Committee to treat fire & gas detection and mitigation systems as Safety Instrumented Systems in the process industries, and require that an appropriate SIL (Safety Integrity Level) rating based on performance criteria, be achieved. Considering the importance of these systems to maintaining the operational integrity of the overall facility, I would say this work is absolutely essential.

Industry leaders recognize that fire and gas detection and mitigation systems are key components in the overall safety and operation of a production facility. However, the overall importance of these systems has not been fully comprehended. In many cases they've been implemented using too few detectors and alarm devices, and without clearly defined performance goals.

Let me state that the purpose of the gas detection system is to detect small and medium leaks. Larger leaks are most likely detected by pressure sensors on the process equipment. When leaks are detected, mitigation is essential and typically both the ESD System and usually Blowdown are activated. As such, the quantity of gas released is minimized and the ignition probability is reduced. It stands to reason that when more detectors are installed one is able to detect smaller leaks, and consequently reduce the number of undetected leaks. However, there is a point of diminishing returns, where installing more detectors does not further reduce the risk, due to a reduction in the size of the leak detected, and the amount of gas released.

Explosions most often result from medium and large leaks. These leaks are easier to detect due to the size of the gas cloud, or by pressure sensors on the process equipment.

In the past, prescriptive design was used and system performance was usually assumed to be sufficient. While these techniques have proven adequate for buildings, living accommodations and so forth, they do not address the F&G Detection and Mitigation requirement of production facilities.

The shift toward performance-based design utilizes the familiar SIL criteria of the IEC 61511 Standard. For example, to meet SIL 1 the system must be able to detect the presence of gas or flame and respond with appropriate mitigation at least 90% of the time. For SIL 2 at least 99% of the time, and for SIL 3 at least a formidable 99.9% of the time. Given today's technological limitations, SIL 2 and SIL 3 are simply not achievable in production facilities. However, SIL 1 performance is possible, given an optimized design with sufficient detector coverage.

In any case, employing a performance-based framework is a major milestone in establishing safety performance requirements for these critical systems.

When unsafe or at-risk behavior is observed, it should be corrected immediately. Remedial or refresher training on hand tool use should be provided before the employee is allowed to resume tasks where such tools are used. In addition, another procedure that should be incorporated into every safety program is the inspection and maintenance of all hand tools. Employees should be trained to inspect hand tools for any sign of damage or wear before they are used. A formal inspection of every hand tool used by our employees should be performed by a competent person on a regularly scheduled basis. Tools that are worn or damaged should be taken out of service and replaced immediately.

If you have any questions about establishing a hand tool safety program or any other safety program, please contact your Safety Department.