Industrial processes involve manufacturing hazardous substances, including toxic and combustible gases. Occasional gas evaporation is inevitable, creating a potential hazard to the industrial facilities, employees, building occupants, and people living nearby. Worldwide incidents involving a gas explosion and the loss of life are a constant reminder of this problem. This is when the gas detectors come to the rescue. Gas detectors are lifesaving equipment that can’t be overlooked. Like other devices, gas monitors require maintenance for optimal and efficient performance.
Faulty gas detection equipment can be fatal, endangering lives. That’s why it is important to understand the equipment completely and know how to troubleshoot the problems when they arise. Certain factors can cause the gas detectors to fail, including the following:
Environmental Factors
Water, dirt, dust, and grime can impact the efficiency of the gas detectors. The physical elements can block gas vapours from entering the sensor chamber, preventing gas detection. This can be within the sensors, sample lines, sampling pump, and filters. This increases the chances of gas exposure and fire accidents, especially in confined spaces. That’s why it is essential to clean the gas monitors regularly, especially when the environment you are working with is polluted and dirty. If the sensors can’t detect the gas leaks, you also can’t. You wouldn’t want to put your employee’s life in danger.
Gas Exposure
Of course, gas detectors can detect the gas and are regularly exposed to varying levels within an environment. However, high levels of gas exposure can change the calibration of the sensors, causing false alarms and inaccurate readings. This can cause unnecessary troubles inside the working area. High levels of toxic gases in the atmosphere can kill the sensor’s ability to measure the gas. Several incidents have happened due to the malfunctioning of gas detectors. In fact, many sensors can fail, and unfortunately, they don’t indicate as well. So, it’s important to know the range of your sensors and to use the right range of your application.
Calibration Drift
When was the last time you had your sensors calibrated? All detectors from all manufacturers tend to drift over time. Calibration helps the sensor return to equilibrium to provide accurate readings. If you don’t calibrate your fixed or portable gas detectors regularly, sensors won’t work properly, and even worse, you might not know the sensors have drifted until it’s too late.
As you see, these are the major reasons why your gas detectors aren’t working. That’s why proper maintenance is crucial to ensure the efficiency of the sensors.
The author is an active blogger and renowned for providing innovative solutions such as gas detectors, flame detectors, turbidity analysers, etc., to the Oil & Gas, Chemical, Petrochemical, Manufacturing, Food, Pharmaceutical, Water Treatment, and many other industries across Australia and New Zealand. Visit http://prodetec.com.au/ for more details.
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