Keeping maintenance workers safe during shutdowns

Crowcon has provided 65 of its
portable gas detectors to protect
personnel at Dow Corning’s
manufacturing plant in Barry, south
Wales. The Triple Plus+ IR detectors
are used by maintenance contractors
during crucial operational site
shutdowns.

As silicone is present in the
manufacturing process and can
interfere with conventional sensors,
it was necessary for the detectors to
have infrared (IR) capability as IR
sensors are unaffected by silicone. In
addition, Crowcon provided
linearisation of the IR sensor for
pentane and also provided a bespoke
hydrogen sensor.

According to Kevin Reid of Dow
Corning’s analyser Group,
ruggedness was a key factor in the
company’s choice of gas detector
supplier. “We issue the instruments
to off-site contractors, which means
they pass through many pairs of hands
in a short space of time,” he explained.

“Without a sense of ownership on the
part of the user, they can get some
pretty rough treatment. The Triple
Plus+ units are hardwearing and
require little maintenance – they also
have an extremely reliable IR sensor.

They performed exceptionally over the
first shutdown period without a single
detector exhibiting a fault or failure.”
The Triple Plus+ IR version differs
from traditional detectors because it
does not require the presence of
oxygen, making it suitable for use in
silicone manufacturing processes or
in purge monitoring of hydrocarbon
storage tanks such as in petroleum
processing facilities or oil and gas
carriers.

Favoured by the chemical and oil
and gas industries because of its
toughness the Triple Plus+ can
monitor up to four toxic and
flammable gases at once from a list
of over 15, is almost unbreakable
and uses 7-series sensors which have
been shown to be the most reliable
sensor type available. It is housed in
a shatterproof polyamide/ABS
casing, making it shock-resistant and
water-proof to IP65. It will also float
if dropped in water.

A large backlit display shows all
gas levels simultaneously and a loud
audible alarm and extremely bright
visual alarm warns the operator when
gas levels reach dangerous levels. 100
hours of datalogging capacity is
available as standard and a PC
interface through an RS232 serial
port allows all data to be downloaded
for permanent storage.

Dow Corning’s 160-acre Barry site
employs approximately 600 people and
manufactures silicon-based products
and intermediates for use globally. The
process starts with elemental silicon
which is chemically reacted and
changed to make silicon-based fluids,
gums, rubbers and specialty polymers.