New photo ionisation detection technology for monitoring VOCs

What is MiniPID technology?
Within the market we talk about the
revolution of safety; the development and
increased usage of MiniPID technology in
the market today might be better described
as an evolution
in innovation.

This latest
innovation in
measuring
VOCs is the
development by Ion Science of miniature
PID sensors. A Photo Ionisation Detector
in the shell of a Series 4 / ‘A’ Class gas
sensor enables PID technology to be
deployed across a range of gas detection
instruments. Incorporating the patented
Fence Electrode Technology to increase
resistance to humidity and contamination,
this sensor is now being used across a
range of confined space gas detectors and
environmental instruments.

What will this innovation offer
you?
It will offer users more accuracy and a
wider detection range when incorporated
into standard PID instruments. Many users
need a very sensitive instrument with parts
per billion measurements. Others want to
identify high levels of VOCs sometimes up
to 20,000 ppm (parts per million) or 2%
volume. The MiniPID’s increased range
means that it is now possible to consolidate
all this in one instrument to meet more
demanding total VOC monitoring
requirements.

The MiniPID can be used for a variety of
different applications including: air quality
assessments, soil contamination and land
remediation, industrial hygiene and safety
monitoring, first response in HazMat
incidents, low-level VOC detection,
environmental emissions monitoring,
confined space entry, atmosphere
monitoring and arson investigation.

What is the connection?
Although designed originally for gas
detection manufacturers, the growing
success of the MiniPID now means that
this new technology has been adopted by
other manufacturers such as Honeywell
(formally Sperian) who incorporated the
MiniPID into their PHD6 product line
and 3MTM/Quest TechnologiesTM who also
use the MiniPID in their EVM Air
Quality product line.

Ion Science who created the MiniPID
use it in the PhoCheck Tiger VOC monitor
and GasClam Ground Gas Monitor as well
as in the newly released Tiger Select; a
Benzene Specific and Total Aromatic
Compound monitor.

We think this technology is
great! ….. But what do we
know!?….. This is what our
customers think!
The latest technology in Ground Gas
monitoring is the GasClam which aids in
the development and regeneration of
Landfill and Brownfield sites. Here is what
Bo Simkin thinks….

“Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
has been utilising a Gasclam in a number
of Part IIA site investigations where
ground gas has been identified as a key risk
driver. High quality, reliable, continuous
data obtained alongside traditional „spot
sampling? provided greater insight into the
gas regime of the site and served to reduce
uncertainty whilst increasing confidence in
the overall conclusions drawn from the
data. This in turn reduced the
monitoring period required and time
and financial savings to be made”

Bo Simkin, Contaminated Land Officer,
Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council
When delivering their latest Personal Gas
Monitor, Honeywell (formally Sperian)
chose to incorporate the MiniPID sensor
into their PHD6 product range. Gavin Craig
and the team at Erith Contractors, use the
PHD6 routinely. This is what he thinks…

“We rely heavily on the PHD6 on all our
projects to keep a very close eye on the
VOC?s within our projects. They are very
user friendly and all members of our site
team are able to operate them. The thing
that we find at Erith is the ease of the
download and calibration using the IQ6
docking station. We feel that this
instrument is very important and does a
great job for us on all our sites. With the
help of Shawcity this instrument is great
for Erith and all the projects we take
on.”

Gavin Craig, Site Office Manager, Erith
The latest PID offering from Ion Science is
the PhoCheck Tiger used for the detection
of VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds)
in many applications including the
measurement of VOC’s in Chemical and
Petro- Chemical applications, Landfill sites,
Soil Contamination detection and
Environmental monitoring.

“The advent of the MiniPID has
revolutionised the portable VOC
monitoring industry. The decrease in
power consumption, implementation of
the humidity resistant fence electrode
technology, excellent resolution and the
widest span on the market have allowed
the development of instruments such as the
PhoCheck Tiger which can be used in a
vast range of applications and
environmental conditions with
unparalleled usability. It is now no longer
necessary to have multiple instruments to
cover all the possible conditions you are
likely to encounter providing the end user
with a single, cost effective solution.”

Peter Morris, Business Development
Manager, Ion Science
The EVM range of Air Quality instruments
from 3MTM/Quest TechnologiesTM also
utilises the MiniPID technology. Here is
what Paul Woodcock thinks….

“When we as a Government Department
were first informally tendering for Noise
and Environmental monitoring
equipment Shawcity were most helpful
and co-operative in agreeing mutually
convenient dates/times and offsite
premises for the venue. They came on
several occasions to carefully explain and
demonstrate the products involved, the
support, maintenance and training. Two
onsite training sessions were set up and
conducted for a small group then a larger
group of staff (including new entrants to
Health and Safety) and both sessions
were included at no extra cost. I myself
arranged the second session with Alex
Graft, Southern Sales Manager at
Shawcity, whose expertise on the
equipment, particularly the noise
measurement was invaluable. On one
occasion when I could not download the
data and get it printed for an important
presentation Alex was quick to come and
assist me at my premises which I was
most grateful for. We have used the
equipment extensively for measuring
noise levels and conducting surveys in
our computer halls. The humidity and
temperature measurement recording
facility has also proved invaluable where
we have had problem with low humidity
and cold temperatures last winter. The
evidence provided from a fully calibrated
piece of equipment has served us well and
continues to do so.”

Paul Woodcock, Government Department in
Gloucestershire
A comment we could not help but to
include…..

“This is the customer service as it
should be offered and has been
much appreciated.”
Paul Woodcock, Government Department
in Gloucestershire
Erith Contractors also rely on the EVM
range to monitor both dust and PID levels.

Here is what they think about the
technology…

“The dual functions of the EVM 7 cut
down the amount of equipment needed
and the fool-proof user interface means
that the machines are incredibly simple to
set up. The nature of our work on
historical gasworks means that both dust
and PID monitoring are of the upmost
importance due to the presence of
hazardous contaminants and toxic gases
in the materials being disturbed. The
factor which makes the EVMs invaluable
and separates them from the other
environmental monitoring units on the
market, is that they can be left to run at
several locations around the site, to
continuously collect data throughout the
day with complete confidence. It is the
reliability of the EVM 7s battery, PID
sensor and dust impactor which allow the
unit to be left for extended periods of time
without any concern. Though when issues
do arise, the speed at which the problem is
resolved by Shawcity is definitely in need of
mention, be it a talk-through of a
procedure over the phone, or the provision
of a replacement unit while one goes away
for service. The final thing which makes
the EVM 7 so beneficial is the ease at
which the information can be downloaded
and analysed. The software is user-friendly
and easily customised meaning the data
can be downloaded and presented in the
relevant form in a matter of minutes.”

Gavin Craig, Site Office Manager, Erith

In summary
The MiniPID technology is growing rapidly
in the market and is being adopted by
many manufacturers in a variety of sectors.

Shawcity are in the forefront of this
technology, distributing products for all
these major manufacturers to help provide
you, our customers, with the benefits that
the new MiniPID sensors provide. As you
can see, Shawcity customers are very
pleased with their instrumentation, service
and benefits that the MiniPID technology
provides. If you would like to incorporate
these benefits into your own business
Shawcity will be very happy to help. Our
friendly team is only a phone call away!
All instruments discussed in this article
are available to hire or purchase from
Shawcity Limited; your source for any
monitoring solution!