GAS DETECTION

Cost of Ownership
In today's competitive marketplace the initial cost of any capital equipment is
important to the end user but of equal importance is the ongoing cost of
ownership.
In many cases gas detectors are purchased for an immediate safety,
operational or legislative need, but little thought is given to keeping them
operational and within performance requirements for their life.
There are 3 main costs.
a) Calibration or performance testing
b) Maintenance and replacement costs
c) Loss of product or replacement when units are being serviced
All of these are factors that need to be considered by the user.
If an instrument is to be used to make measurements upon which some action
is to be taken, then it is important that it operates with certain accuracy limits.
If, for example, an operator has to evacuate a confined space when the
Oxygen level is below 16% or 18% then it is important that this measurement
is as accurate as possible, otherwise life may be at risk. Similarly if the
flammability of the atmosphere is above a particular level then there is a
danger to the user.

There is, therefore, a need to ensure that the instrument performance remains
consistent between checks.

Although the level in some cases may not be the absolute judge since the
change in reading may be equally important, ie falling Oxygen levels indicate
a worsening situation as does increasing flammability levels. There has to be
some absolute level to give guidance to the user.
Instruments have to be calibrated or tested at regular intervals. If you operate
an ISO9000 quality system, test instruments which perform measurements
upon which judgements are made have to be calibrated, normally traceable to
national standards.
Gas detectors are similar. The
simplest way is to test the unit
regularly in the field with a
certified test gas to establish a
basic performance level. This
can be done before each test,
daily, weekly, monthly etc
depending
upon
the
risk
involved and the performance of
the instrument.

The simplest test is just a reaction test to see if the instrument works. This
could be breathing into an Oxygen instrument to ensure that the O2 level falls
or similarly with a CO2 instrument to ensure that the CO2 level rises. We
breath out around 4% CO2 so both CO2 and O2 readings are affected. With
a flammable instrument the application of the gas from the mains or a lighter
will give some indication that the basic unit functions. Apart from time there is
little cost and it provides a basic function test but it does not constitute a
performance test and is certainly not
a calibration.
The next level up is to perform a
'bump' test or basic level check. This
can be done by the user with some
basic instruction and requires the use
of a test gas or test gases. Gas is
applied to the instrument under
controlled conditions and the level of
response noted and compared
against some agreed criterion.
Test gases are available from a
number of suppliers with different
accuracies.
In a bump test the accuracy of the
gas is probably the least important
since other factors affect the

instrument performance, such as temperature, pressure, skill of the operator

etc. Hence in bump testing wide parameters are used.
A typical gas mixture may have an accuracy of say 2% and could be applied
to an instrument with an accuracy of say 3% of Full Scale. This may vary
depending upon the ambient temperature and other factors.
If the gas is around the mid point of the instrument scale, then depending
upon the actual specification of the instrument you may get a variation similar
to that illustrated below.
Gas = 50%LEL 2%
ie 48%LEL to 52%LEL
Instrument accuracy 3%LEL
ie 48 - 3 to 52 + 3
= 45% to 55%LEL
With no other factors involved this may increase to around 40% - 60%LEL in a
practical situation.
Provided reasonable limits are used and there are clear instructions, a bump
test is a useful tool to ensure calibration but it does add cost in providing the
gas and having basic training.
If the instrument is calibrated in the field then the same gas can be used. You
have to rely on the operator to carry out the calibration and do it regularly and
with some skill.
Modern gas detectors can indicate to the operator when a calibration is due
either by flagging due date or by indicating when a calibration fault has
occurred.
Many gas detectors have built-in field calibration which automate the process
and have built-in safeguards against gross operator error. In many cases
they can be pre-programmed to specific gas mixtures and provide internal
records of the calibration.
Multimix gas reduce the number of cylinders that are required and help
reduce cost.
Automatic field calibration systems operated by computer based systems are
also available to ensure the correct calibration of instruments in the field and
can be used to extend the calibration period based on real data.
If you find that with, say, monthly calibration checking in a particular
application there is no basic change in instrument performance this can be
extended to 3 months and if the same performance levels occur they can be
extended to 6 months, 12 months etc, hence reducing costs based on real

data in your application, rather than some fixed figure decided on by the
manufacturer.
Many manufacturers have
automatic
calibration
systems with either local
computers
and
data
storage
or
networked
systems for large users.
The idea is to keep the
instruments in use, in the
field,
whilst
still
maintaining
calibration
records and avoiding the
return to a specialised
repair facility.
There are some maintenance costs associated with gas detectors depending
upon the application and type of sensors. Flammable detectors using
semiconductors may have a life of around 1-5 years, depending on the
application and exposure to gas or other compounds.
Pellistor based catalytic sensors typically have a life of 5 years+ depending on
application.
Infra-red sensors have a
much longer life typically
but the source which
could be a lamp type
device may have around
3000 hours life. Solid
state
sources
and
detectors have a much
longer life but still
require maintenance if
not replacement.
Simple modular assemblies with self calibration reduce the skill and cost of
replacement.
Electrochemical sensors used for Oxygen and Toxic gas measurement such
as CO, H2S etc have a typical life of 2-3 years and have to be replaced after
this period.

There is increasing use of disposable Oxygen and Toxic Gas detectors which
have a life of 2-3 years including batteries and are basically maintenance free
but they will need to be tested if the risk warrants it. There is no difference in
the need to test, irrespective if
the unit is disposable or not.
The disposable units do not
require batteries and hence
this cost is avoided. In other
units which do have batteries
there
is
the
cost
of
replacement of either dry
cells, usually alkaline, or rechargeable battery packs.
The re-chargeable batteries
have
improved
in
performance and failure mechanisms with new type batteries, such as Nickel
Metal Hydride and Lithium Ion batteries, but there is still the capital cost of
chargers and the usually hidden cost of power for these, albeit small.
In addition to the cost of replacement sensors there are the costs of skilled
calibration and maintenance staff who check the product on a regular basis.
This is an overhead cost which applies to all gas detectors. The disposable
units are affected in the same way, although there is no repair capability,
calibration checking may still be required. In the event of failure then the
capital cost may be incurred again but you have a new detector presumably
with the manufacturer's warranty.
All manufacturers are striving to bring down the cost of maintenance and cost
of ownership in many ways.
With certified equipment there is a requirement to have the equipment
checked for compliance with the certification requirements on a regular basis
by a skilled and competent person. This is defined in BS EN 60079 and is
typically in the order of 2 yearly.
CSA, the Canadian Standards Association, insist that any flammable detector
approved by them has a statement in the handbook indicating that the
flammable detector has to be tested daily or before use, this is a blanket
statement irrespective of any performance tests they carry out. The same
criterion does not apply to an Oxygen or toxic detector approved by them.
This means that there are costs associated with the maintenance and safety
of all hazardous area equipment not just gas detectors.
If instruments are returned to a competent repairer then they are no longer
available in the field for users, hence replacements have to be made
available.

If an instrument is sent to a central repair facility on a 6 monthly basis and the

turnaround time is say 5 working days in 250, eg 50 weeks x 5 days, the
instrument is out of service for routine servicing for around 4% of its working
year. If you include for failures this figure may increase to 5% to 10%
depending upon application. Thus in the capital cost you may have to include
a larger number of units for spares.
Thus the ability to keep instruments in the field by providing improved
reliability, field calibration and maintenance free units can be a vital availability
issue as well as replacement parts costs.
Many manufacturers will offer complete packages that ensure users always
have a working calibrated unit either by means of replacement units, leasing
arrangement or imaginative repair operations such as replacements or field
service units.
The use of automatic
calibration and fault
diagnosis on fixed
systems
using
computer
based
systems linked into
SCADA
or
BMS
(Building Management
Systems) is increasing
and helping to reduce
the cost of ownership.
The use of gas detectors in many industries is increasing but the costs are
reducing in an ever more competitive market. Buyers are no longer just
looking at a price but are assessing the total cost of ownership as well as
technical features.
The world gas detection market is addressing the needs of its customers by
ever more innovative ways.
In the UK CoGDEM members are working together to ensure there are
technical standards that enable users to have a minimum requirement for safe
gas detection equipment both portable and fixed, whilst at the same time
competing in the marketplace to give individual customers the best options for
their particular market at the lowest possible cost without compromising
safety.