Applications of Fixed Gas Detectors in the Industrial Sector and Other Industries
More than 80% of production areas in the petrochemical industry carry risks of flammable and explosive hazards. According to the Design Specification for Combustible Gas and Toxic Gas Detection and Alarm in Petrochemical Enterprises, the effective horizontal coverage radius of each gas detector is 7.5 meters indoors and 15 meters outdoors. At least one detector shall be installed within each effective coverage area. In addition, detectors shall be separately mounted near the inlet and outlet valve manifolds of storage tanks, as well as in pump rooms, compressor rooms, cylinder filling valve rooms and other locations prone to gas leakage.
In most scenarios, it is mandatory to deploy BW LEL or IR detectors to monitor flammable gas leaks. BW LEL and IR instruments support two-level alarm triggering. When the concentration of combustible gas in the monitored area reaches 10% LEL (Lower Explosive Limit) or 20% LEL, the monitor will activate the first-stage or second-stage alarm respectively. The alarm thresholds can also be adjusted upon customer requirements.
For toxic and hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) involved in production processes, such as benzene, toluene, aniline and carbon disulfide, BW PID detectors shall be used for leakage inspection. BW PID equipped with a 9.8 eV ultraviolet lamp is suitable for benzene leakage monitoring in styrene units of petrochemical plants. BP Texas Refinery in Texas, USA, adopted 9.8 eV BW PID units to monitor and alert benzene leaks in production workshops. During more than six months of continuous monitoring, the BW PID system gave an accurate and effective alarm for a benzene leakage incident that occurred on site.
Metallurgical Industry
The metallurgical sector, especially iron and steel smelting, relies on industrial coal gas as fuel. Blast furnace gas, converter gas and coke oven gas contain extremely high concentrations of carbon monoxide. Insufficient leakage detection for CO and flammable gases may lead to CO poisoning or explosion accidents. For safety protection and detection in steel plants, BW CO detectors for toxic carbon monoxide and BW LEL detectors for total flammable gas concentration are the primary solutions. Real-time monitoring of toxic and combustible gas concentrations tracks changes in ambient gas levels. Once concentrations exceed preset limits, the device triggers an alarm to warn on-site personnel of gas leakage, prompting immediate evacuation and emergency response to prevent poisoning, explosions and further escalation of hazards.
Tobacco Industry
Tobacco products undergo fumigation treatment before storage to prevent heating, mildew and pest infestation. Phosphine and methyl bromide are the most widely used fumigants in the tobacco industry to date. Conventional fumigation pesticides are harmful to the human body and most are flammable. Improper operation may cause personnel poisoning or even combustion accidents.
The BW PH₃ detector with a measuring range of 0~1000 ppm effectively supervises the entire fumigation process using phosphine to guarantee pest control efficacy. The BW PH₃ model ranging from 0 to 20 ppm tests residual gas concentration to ensure no toxic fumigant residue remains on cured tobacco leaves after treatment. For methyl bromide fumigation, BW IR detectors monitor hydrogen bromide concentration during the process, while BW PID instruments check hydrogen bromide residue and fugitive emissions.
