Ensures cellar's safe from CO2

The Selvapiana winery in Tuscany is using Crowcon's CellarSafe and Xgard fixed CO2 gas detectors to protect workers in the winery's cellars.

CO2 is a by-product of the fermentation process and, because it is heavier than air, it can spill out of fermenting tanks and sink to the winery floor, where it forms deadly, invisible pockets. Workers cleaning grape skins out of fermenting tanks are also in danger, as any remaining CO2 can deplete oxygen in the tanks.

Two CellarSafe CO2 detectors and one Xgard CO2 detector are installed in the winery's cellars. The CellarSafe units provide two levels of protection: Firstly, if CO2 concentrations exceed a threshold, extractor fans are triggered; secondly, an 82dB alarm is triggered to warn workers to vacate the cellar.

The detector is linked to a control unit that constantly displays ambient CO2 levels on a computer screen in the control room.