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Ir Vs Catalytic
Ir Vs Catalytic
Ir Vs Catalytic
• Methane • Isopropylamine
• Ethane • Propylene
• Propane • Ethylene Oxide
• Butane • Propylene Oxide
• Hexane • Ethanol
• Butadiene • Methanol
CATALYTIC SENSING
In IR point detectors, there is a fixed path length • The initial higher cost per point. IR detectors in
between the IR source and the IR detector (Fig. 3). the past have been more expensive than catalytic
The path length is typically short (a few inches) and detectors at initial purchase, but they are rapidly
the gas concentration is assumed uniform across the coming down in price to cost parity with catalytic
path. With a fixed path length, the measurement of detectors.
IR beam absorption by the gas being measured can • Higher spare parts cost.
be expressed directly (% LEL in this case). Thus, a • The gas to be measured must be infrared active,
point IR detector is capable of giving a true such as a hydrocarbon.
measurement of gas concentration at the point of • Gases that do not absorb IR energy (such as
detection. Open path IR detectors, as opposed to hydrogen) are not detectable.
point detectors, expand the gas sampling path from • High humidity, dusty and/or corrosive field
a few inches up to 100 meters to monitor large environments can increase IR detector
facilities for gas clouds (Fig. 4 and 5). maintenance costs.
• Routine calibration to a different gas is not
Advantages practical.
• A relatively large volume of gas is required for
The major advantages of IR gas detectors are: response testing.
• Ambient temperature for detector use is limited to
• Immunity to contamination and poisoning 70°C.
• Fail-to-safe operation • Does not perform well for multiple gas applications.
• No routine calibration • Cannot replace the IR source in the field
• Ability to operate in the absence of oxygen or in – must be returned to factory for repair.
enriched oxygen
• Ability to operate in continuous presence of gas
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Site Location and Experience
There are many important factors to consider when Measurement quality with both combustible and IR
deciding whether to select an infrared or catalytic gas detectors is dependent upon accurate calibration
detector for a particular application. Reliable with known gas concentrations. Both IR and
application of either infrared or catalytic detectors catalytic bead detectors from General Monitors are
depends on a detection system that matches the smart microprocessor-based devices featuring
detectors and sampling techniques to the monitored single-point calibration. They feature an automatic
area. It's important to recognize that different gases calibration adjustment sequence with no tools or
can require different detection technologies. No area declassification necessary. Just activate and
single detection principle can provide the sensitivity apply the calibration gas.
and response time required for every gas. Similarly,
the detector heads must be matched to ambient Placement of Detectors
conditions surrounding the measurement point.
General Monitors’ field engineers can help you For IR and catalytic detectors, there are three types
determine which factor is the most critical to the of monitoring strategies: (1) point, (2) area, and (3)
success of your application. site perimeter. When you know the potential source
of a gas leak, you can design a point monitoring
50 PPM
Open Path Detector Open Path Detector
Open Path Detector
10% LEL
25% LEL
1% LEL
50% LEL
100% LEL 10% LEL
100% LEL
Point Detector Leak Source Point Detector Leak Source
Figure 5: IR5000 and evolution of a leaking gas cloud
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strategy to place detectors close to the potential leak require outer perimeter monitoring along property
sources, such as tank valves, so that detection is fence lines to guard against gas passing beyond the
prompt. In large refining or chemical processing facility’s boundaries. In some cases, open path IR
plants, a point detector grid system can be detectors may be useful in detecting gas clouds that
developed to monitor specific zones, such as a can become airborne and/or disperse over a wide
storage tank area. (Fig. 6) area. (Fig. 5)
For plants where the site layout makes it difficult to Detector System Communication
identify specific leak sources that may spread into
other locations, a wider area monitoring system can Infrared and catalytic detectors from General
be developed with point gas detectors placed at Monitors provide both 4-20mA analog and RS-485
preset geographic distances. Some plants also serial output that is MODBUS protocol compatible
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Field Control Room
Monitoring System
Data Concentrator
G G G G G G G G G G
RS485 Modbus RTU Operator
Gateway
Ethernet LAN
Ethernet LAN
20 gas detectors per loop Work Station
Host
PWR
CMM
CPU
MM
MM
MM
MM
RS485 Modbus RTU Alarm/Event
G G G G G G G G G G Printer
F F F F F F F F F F
RS485 Modbus RTU To Other Host
20 Flame detectors per loop
RS485 Modbus RTU To Next Rack
F F F F F F F F F F
for use in large distributed control systems. Using years. Catalytic detectors can be calibrated 50 times
a MODBUS compatible remote transmitter unit with one cylinder of gas. IR detectors require no
(RTU) provides two-way addressable routine calibration, however if calibration is
communications for status, alarm, fault and other performed, they are limited to 10 times maximum
information for operation, troubleshooting or per cylinder of gas. The initial cost of catalytic
programming of the detectors. Up to 128 point detection is typically lower than IR, but overall IR
detectors may be networked in series, and up to 247 maintenance costs are lower.
point detectors can be networked with repeaters. A
typical system configuration linking 20 gas Life-Cycle Cost Analysis
detectors and 20 flame detectors is shown in Figure 7.
Both IR point detectors and catalytic
Maintenance and Repair detector/transmitters share similar installation and
wiring costs. Inspection frequency is the same for
Catalytic gas detectors require a routine “check” both, but IR detectors feature self-diagnostics while
every 90-days. While no routine calibration is catalytic detectors require a gas check. IR detectors
actually required for IR detectors, a gas check is still do not require routine calibration, however 90-day
recommended every 90-days. Typically, calibration gas checks are recommended. In many
takes between 1 – 3 minutes. Should a catalytic circumstances, repair data shows catalytic detectors
sensor require replacement, it can easily be changed may be more quickly repaired in the field than IR
out in the field. IR point detectors require factory detectors that often require factory expertise for
repair, however repair frequency is typically very repair. This minor inconvenience, however, is
low. Also, a spare IR detector can be installed while easily overcome by keeping a spare IR detector on
the defective one is sent to the factory. hand in the unlikely event that repair is needed.
Both catalytic and IR gas detectors from General While IR detectors do offer enhanced reliability due
Monitors have a sensor life expectancy of up to five to their fail-to-safe style, immunity to poisons, and
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ability to function without oxygen, catalytic to strongly consider the field environment and
detectors offer application flexibility, simple variables in detector design from manufacturer to
maintenance and low replacement costs. Both manufacturer. Life-cycle cost assumptions will not
technologies are reliable, fast detecting and hold true in all environments. The same can be said
accurate. Neither is necessarily the answer to for detector mean-time-to-repair or failure data
everything, and in most plants, a combination of among various manufacturers. Careful analysis of
both types is the correct and sensible solution. detectors, suppliers and field experience will help
you select the best catalytic or IR detectors for your
CONCLUSION application. Let your General Monitors field
applications engineers share their expertise to help
There is clearly a requirement for both IR and you make the best sensing technology choice.
catalytic detectors. When making a choice, be sure
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Publication #: WP-IRCat-A0601