Gas Detectors Protect Shale Gas Rigs From Hazardous Hydrocarbon Gas Leaks  

Oil and gas engineers responsible for hydraulic fracturing operations in the production of natural gas will find the Combustible Gas Detectors product lines, from General Monitors (USA), accurately sense potentially explosive hydrocarbon gas and alert crews in time to complete an orderly shutdown of the drilling rig.

Pockets of combustible gas potentially escaping from shale drilling rig production require fixed gas detection monitoring equipment in order to maintain a safe operating environment for people and equipment. The General Monitors S4000CH and IR400 Combustible Gas Detectors,with their decades of field proven experience and precision sensor technologies, provide a highly reliable early warning alert to production workers.

The Model S4000CH Intelligent Gas Detector features General Monitors’ robust catalytic bead sensor. This sensor provides exceptional reliability for precise gas detection, ease of set-up and use, as well as simple maintenance. In harsh industrial process environments, it delivers dependable safety monitoring with low cost-of-ownership.

The Model IR400 Infrared (IR) Point Detector features a self-diagnostic design to prevent false alarms and process shutdowns.  It monitors conditions such as supply voltage and optical path integrity. The IR400 also features heated optics to eliminate condensation, and a dirty optics indicator helps discriminate between true alarms and maintenance needs. Additionally, the detector requires no routine calibration, a feature that reduces demand for field technician maintenance time. 

Bothdetectors are microprocessor-based and continuously monitor combustible gases and vapors within the lower explosive limit (LEL). All electronics are contained within explosion-proof housings so thatthe detectors information can be processed locally. They operate with a 4-20mA signal, which is proportional to 0 to 100% LEL gas concentration at the detectors. The units feature one person calibration and can virtually self-calibrate by simply activating a magnetic switch and applying gas. Configurations with analog output, Modbus and HART are also available. Modbus and HART data can be used for predictive maintenance.