Choose Your Best Defense, Apply Layers of Detection with MSA

No single detection technology can mitigate completely the risks arising out of accidental gas releases. Having multiple layers of detection, is presently the best defense against these risks.
MSA has a very complete range of gas detection technologies, each well suited for detecting a different stage of gas release. This is complemented by a good range of flame detectors, gas and flame mapping tools, safety rated controllers and in-house integration capabilities. We have a very complete solution to protect customers from the risks caused by accidental gas releases.

Learn more on MSA Gas Detection: Layered Gas & Flame Monitoring »

Risk Reduction Delivers Better Capital Resources Allocation and Better Protection

Be Better Protected Against…
The gas and flame detection system is put in place to reduce the consequence of gas explosions and fires. Consequences could include one or more of the following:

• Capital loss due to infrastructure damage
• Serious injury or loss of life
• Production loss due to process shutdowns
• Environmental contamination
• Lawsuits

The biggest factor that limits the effectiveness of any gas detection system is Detection Coverage. If the system is unable to detect the gas (i.e. "cover"), then it would not know when to execute the needed safety actions. Detection Coverage is therefore crucial.

Challenge of Risk Reduction
Almost all gas detection technologies need the gas to 'arrive' at the detector (or detection line) in order for detection to occur. In reality, positioning gas detectors to ensure that a high likelihood of this happening is an engineering challenge, especially for outdoor process areas. Mechanical obstructions, area congestion due to equipment and piping, release mechanisms, direction of release, impingement, relative density of the released gas and wind influence, are all factors that influence the behavior of gas plumes and make detector placement a very difficult task for the engineer.

Improving Detection Effectiveness
It is common these days, to find the engineer relying on software tools (i.e. gas dispersion modelling, gas and flame mapping) to help determine detector positions by simulating the behavior of gas releases and the resulting plumes. While there has been significant advances of such tools, a good measure of design assumptions supported by engineering experience is usually still needed. What this means is, a degree of uncertainty often remains. The engineer can attempt to reduce this uncertainty by making more safety conservative assumptions. But a more conservative approach in favor of safety, may also result in a greater number of detectors (i.e. higher CAPEX) and a corresponding increase in maintenance (i.e. higher OPEX). In this era of cost cutting and restraining, this is likely to be a difficult balancing act.
Solutions by MSA
An understanding of different gas detection technologies and its suitability for detecting at different stages of release can make a difference. It is possible to improve detection effectiveness without an excessive increase in detector quantity. This means CAPEX (and OPEX) can be restrained, even when a more safety conservative approach is preferred.
Find out more from MSA Gas Detection Systems Comparison Report on how different detection technologies perform for each consideration of Risk Reduction, CAPEX, and OPEX.

If you wish to speak to our specialists to understand how MSA's latest gas detection technologies can help you reduce the risks that you face each day, request for a consultation today.

Case Study

Open Path Gas Detector

• Refinery Turns to Open-Path Laser Detectors for HF Gas Safety

Application Notes

Oil, Gas and Petrochemical

• Compressor Stations
• LNG/CNG Opportunities
• Solutions for the Natural Gas Shale Industry
• Protecting Ethylene Process Facilities from Gas Leaks
• Gas Detection Solutions for Ethylene Applications
• Monitoring Fuel Leaks in Refinery Applications; Engine Test and Fuel Blend Rooms
• Ultima X Chlorine Monitor Calibration

Industrial

• Carbon Dioxide Monitoring in Breweries
• Hydrogen Monitoring in Nuclear Power Plants and Storage Areas
• Hydrogen Detection in Chemical Agent Destruction Processing Applications
• Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds
• Special Application Oxygen Sensors
• Considerations of Oxygen Sensors used for Process Control
• Gas Detection System: 0-100% v/v Methane in Landfill Recovery Gas and Waste Gas Streams

Wastewater

• Fixed Gas & Flame Detection for Four-Gas Wet Well Monitoring
• Gas Monitoring for Wet Well Applications
• Odor Scrubber Monitoring

Custom Gas Sampling/Flow Panels

• Gas Sampling Solutions for Hazardous Environments
• High Performance Filter Media for sever samplingapplications
• H2S Flow Panel System
• Dilution Flow Panels for Combustible Gas Monitoring
• Thermal Conditioning for Extracted Gas Samples
• Air-Cooled Sample Conditioner for High Temperature Gas Sampling

Whitepapers

• Combustible Gas Detection White Paper
  A guide to the characteristics of combustible gases and the applicable detection technologies used.
• Gas Detection Technologies White Paper
  The ability of gas detection technologies to work together is one of the benefits of a new outlook in fixed gas detection systems addressed here.
• Hydrogen Gas Detection White Paper
  White paper expands on various gas detection technologies used to prevent hydrogen (H2) gas leaks and hazards in the Oil & Gas industry.
• IR Gas Detection Technology White Paper
  We discuss the infrared sensing technologies for both point and and open-path infrared detection methods.
• IR vs Catalytic Bead Technology White Paper
  We present when it's better to use Infrared Gas Detectors for combustible gas monitoring rather than Catalytic Bead Gas Detectors.
• MC600 Multi-Channel Controller White Paper
  Characterizing a multi-channel controller for hydrocarbon, H2S and Toxic gas detection and monitoring.
• Neural Network Technology for Flame Detection White Paper
  A detailed look into the breakthrough neural network technology used for improving false alarm immunity in flame detection.
• Flame Detector Technologies White Paper
  Paper examines the various flame detection technologies available today and factors to consider when selecting a flame detector.
• SIL 101 - How Safe Do I Need To Be
  The global importance of SIL (Safety Integrity Levels) has grown substantially in the oil/gas, petrochemical and other process industries over the last 10 years.
• Combustible Gas Detector Sensor Drift: Catalytic vs. Infrared
• Ultima OPIR-5 Open Path Gas Detector: Minimum Separation Distances
• Ultrasound: Protecting the Environment
• Photoacoustic Infrared Technology for Detetion of Refrigerant Gases
• FlameGard 5 MSIR Flame Detector