Chemical Engineering April 2019 - 47

detector measuring four or more
gases can be worn by each person
entering a confined space, giving
them an audible alarm signal if there
is a gas hazard right where they are
standing. Furthermore, the price of
multi-gas detectors has come down
so far
in
recent years that many
companies provide a personal detector
to every worker in the plant.
Advancement of portable devices
Experience has shown that gas detection
is a critical requirement in the
CPI and many other industrial sectors.
When it comes to portable gas
detectors, device adaptability is a
key factor. Since hazardous gases
can present themselves in a myriad
of environments - spanning different
industries - detection solutions
need to be able to identify a variety
of threats.
Unfortunately, traditional gas detectors
and lone-worker safety monitors
function like smoke detectors,
alerting only the wearer and those in
earshot of a dangerous environment
or incident, potentially leaving workers
alone for hours without help. Furthermore,
traditional employee-worn
gas detectors are normally autonomous
solutions, meaning safety personnel
have no realtime awareness
of what is happening with the device
and the worker it is meant to protect.
In the control and instrumentation
industry, research and development
teams have been working on
advanced
FIGURE 2. Workers in industrial facilities cannot always depend on their noses to detect unsafe gas situations,
especially in remote areas where they might be working alone for long periods of time
detection technologies
that are leading to the introduction
of more connected gas-detection
systems. Advanced wearable gas
detectors have become a viable solution
for alerting personnel to hazardous
vapors in the workplace.
They typically are designed to monitor
H2S, carbon monoxide (CO),
oxygen (O2) and combustible lower
explosive level (LEL) gases in a standard
configuration, and can also be
equipped to handle LEL, O2, CO
and hydrogen cyanide (HCN), making
them suitable for a wider range
of applications. Connecting safety
managers with field workers at all
times using wirelessly connected
devices greatly enhances visibility of
worker hazards, status and location.
Many of these newer devices may
integrate not only gas-detection capabilities,
but also decrease the risks
to lone or remote workers by providlocation
ing
additional information, such as:
* Continuous worker
monitoring
* Movement detection for automatic
man-down alerts to prompt automatic
check and immediate notification
when a worker is down
* Indication of compliance status for
each gas detector
* A view of the site map in the event
of critical alarms, showing the
location and exposure status of
personnel in the field
Increased connectivity
When it comes to industrial workers
- especially those who do
their jobs alone or in remote locations
- the Industrial Internet of
Things (IIoT) can do more than just
get them better connected. Connected
gas-detection solutions can
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APRIL 2019
enable plant- and enterprise-wide
monitoring that harnesses the IIoT
to provide realtime safety insights on
gas threats, concentration, location,
man-down and more.
One of the major trends in plant
operation has been the evolution of
smartphones and other handheld
devices from potential distractions
to effective productivity and safety
tools. Some wireless multi-gas
monitors can be paired with ruggedized,
intrinsically safe smartphones
to transmit gas readings over a cellular
or satellite network (Figure 3).
The phone can act as a personal
communication hub for a worker,
and can collect readings and alarms
from, and send the data to, a remote
system. Mobile devices and applications
can also transmit worker information
and location to the remote
system, allowing safety managers to
47
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Chemical Engineering April 2019

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