Continued development and refinement of advanced low-power LED photometric infrared technology for LEL detection of hydrocarbon gases has made gas detection safer, simpler, and more reliable than ever before. In recent years, new high-performance/low-maintenance portable multigas detectors featuring infrared technology have been utilized in a variety of construction and confined space site applications to keep workers safe. Even in the most extreme conditions, they have been depended upon to immediately warn workers of the presence of deadly gases such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon monoxide (CO), and combustible gases (Lower Explosive Limit – LEL), as well as a lack of oxygen in the air.
Tested technology you can trust.
Utilization of infrared technology in gas detection is not something new. It has proven to be a reliable method of detecting multiple gases in fixed gas detection applications for many years. Like advancement of technology in the phone industry has allowed phones to become smaller and portable with better performance, advancement of infrared technology in the gas detection industry has allowed multigas detectors to become lightweight and wearable with superior performance. Multigas detectors with low-power LED photometric infrared technology are now able to provide a constant personal warning system with no downtime.
Advancements have lengthened run time from months to years.
When first introduced 5 years ago, portable multigas detectors with infrared LEL sensor technology were able to operate continuously for 24 hours a day, for 2 months or longer, without workers having to recharge the battery or perform continual calibrations. Advancements in LED photometric infrared technology have led to the development of multigas detectors today that are warranted to run for as long as 2 and 3 years continuously with no charging and no calibration necessary. Multigas detectors can now perform, much like single gas detectors, for years at a time with little or no maintenance. Two multigas detectors on the market today feature this advanced sensor technology, the 2-year run time Multi Gas Clip Simple and the 3-year run time Multi Gas Clip Simple Plus by Gas Clip Technologies. Just turn them on, clip them on, and these instruments will detect the presence of gas for years without having to be recharged. The time consuming and resource consuming task of performing continual calibrations due to combustible gas sensor poisoning or desensitization is not necessary either. How do these new portable multigas detectors perform this well for this long even under the harshest of conditions?
Multi Gas Clip Simple Plus
It’s not the battery type, it’s the sensing technology.
The secret is in the technology. Low-power LED photometric infrared LEL sensor technology for portable gas detection has an extremely low drain on the detector’s battery enabling it to last and last. Think about the comparison of an old energy-consuming incandescent light bulb to a new energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) light bulb. Like the LED light bulb, an LED photometric infrared LEL sensor doesn’t have to continuously heat up to perform its function. This conservation of energy allows the battery to last for years, keeping workers safe around the clock and eliminating the risk of a detector powering down in the middle of a job.
Accuracy and durability add to safety features.
There are other benefits that contribute to the safety features of portable gas detectors equipped with this type of infrared technology besides having a detector that is always charged. Infrared LEL sensors, which detect gas with an infrared beam of light, need no oxygen to detect gas so they can always detect gas accurately in oxygen-deficient or oxygen-enriched environments. Because they contain no fragile filament or bead to break or burst, these sensors are extremely durable and dependable. They don’t require constant calibration because they don’t suffer from reduction in sensitivity after repeated exposure to gas or sensor inhibitors. This makes gas detection easy in remote areas where detectors cannot be easily calibrated. The self-test and fail-to-safe functions of the infrared LEL sensor in the Multi Gas Clip Simple and Multi Gas Clip Simple Plus give assurance that the sensor is operating properly and detecting gas. Infrared sensing is an active technology which continuously monitors for sensor failures and immediately communicates them to the wearer. You can focus on the job at hand having confidence that your gas detector is always operable and will alert you when there is gas exposure danger.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information about Gas Clip and the Simple Plus, visit www.gascliptech.com.
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Modern Contractor Solutions, July 2018
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