New technology for Hydrogen alarms

Over the last few months Quantitech has supplied DPSS Cabling Services with unique hydrogen specific gas monitors for use at 14 different back up power facilities that utilise uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems.

UPS equipment is often preferred to diesel generators because it not only provides surge protection, but also eliminates the use of fossil fuels and any associated exhaust related issues. However, lead acid based battery systems have the potential to emit hydrogen if there is any damage or leakage. Hydrogen is a highly dangerous flammable gas, so DPSS has installed the new gas detection technology capable of detecting low levels of hydrogen, even in mixtures of other gases.

DPSS ordered the HY-ALERTA™ 600 version of the hydrogen monitoring technology, which provides hydrogen-specific leak detection and measurement of hydrogen concentrations as low as 4000 ppm and can be scaled to any concentration up to 5% hydrogen by volume. The monitor is designed for either ceiling or wall mount and has no cross sensitivity to other combustible gases, thereby eliminating false positive alarms and ensuring safety system reliability.

DPSS's Jeff Redhead commented, "As specialists in the field of the design, survey and installation of cabling and associated route works, we often provide the support works for UPS systems. This equipment is becoming more common in applications stretching from shopping centres to military installations, so we are delighted that a reliable hydrogen specific technology is available to monitor at the LEL (Lower Explosive Limit) and provide an alarm in the extremely unlikely event of a leak."

The hydrogen detection technology was developed by H2scan, a US based company represented in Britain by Quantitech. Keith Golding is Managing Director at Quantitech. He says. "There are many applications for which hydrogen specific monitoring is important. These cover both health and safety, and process control within a wide variety of industrial applications including petrochemical refineries, hydrogen production, chlorine manufacture, nuclear power/waste, fossil fuel power, chrome plating, research, semiconductor and electronics manufacture, abatement exhausts, transformer oil, fuel cell technologies and of course lead acid battery monitoring."