At the latest technology evening, members and visitors were entertained by Comtest Technologies at a presentation given by Hilton Preston where he discussed the fundamentals of gas detectors.
Hilton Preston.
A gas detector is a device that detects the presence of gases in an area and is often part of a safety system that can sound an alarm to operators, identifying where the leak is occurring and giving workers an opportunity to leave the area.
We were told about the history of gas detectors using canaries to detect gases such as carbon monoxide and methane in the coal mining industry. Modern gas detectors have come a long way since those days and now uses technology like semiconductors, oxidation, catalytic, photoionisation and infrared. Detectors have now also gone wireless for easy integration into safety systems.
There are fixed and portable systems available, but most of the discussion went around the portable units. There was a lively debate regarding the portable units where people have died in sewerage plants while not wearing their gas detectors.
Regardless of technology, a company’s most valuable assets are still its employees, and for those who work in potentially dangerous environments, there are devices available to protect people.
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