GAS DETECTION

Gas detection and associated actions are one of the most fundamental safety requirements of any industrial or domestic facility. A gas detection system is provided to facilitate an early warning to personnel of potentially dangerous situations in terms of flammable or toxic atmospheres (gas) or fires. It also enables the automatic initiation of remedial actions to avoid or minimise an escalation, e.g. by initiating relevant shutdown and depressurisation. The scope of this article is restricted to industrial applications’ gas detection.

A gas detection system does not prevent a hazardous situation, but rather minimises the impact from consequences of an event that has already occurred. Proper design and management of the gas system is of utmost important to ensure its effectiveness in reducing risks to people, environment, and assets. An analysis by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of eight years of hydrocarbon release data revealed that only 60% of major hydrocarbon gas releases on offshore facilities were detected¹. Key measures to improve the detection of a gas leak or fire scenario is to have diverse detection means (gas, flame, smoke/heat etc.), whilst having adequate numbers of detectors to ensure good detection coverage.