PRODUCTS
In brief
Honeywell gas detector
spots leaks in rain
Two new Bluetooth-connected gas detectors,
Honeywell Searchline Excel Plus and Searchline
Excel Edge, are said to be able to deliver
continuous monitoring for dangerous gases
even in fog, rain, snow and other inclement
weather.
Many traditional open-path, xed gas
detectors and monitors can be vulnerable to bad
weather. In these instances, open path detector
signals can be blocked, bringing devices o ine
and unable to monitor for harmful ammable
hydrocarbon gases. With Honeywell has built
in optics and near-band infrared absorption
technology into the Searchline devices so they
can penetrate thick fog with minimal visibility.
Through Bluetooth connectivity, these gas
detectors can be paired with the Honeywell
Fixed Platform App, o ering simpli ed
maintenance and testing procedures, which
in turn means more e cient and safer
performance checks. For example, because
workers can use their mobile devices from up to
20m away to conduct maintenance checks, they
do not need to work at height.
The Searchline Excel Plus monitors short and
mid-range applications from 2-120m, allowing
workers to monitor speci c areas or equipment
for continuous safety applications.
The Searchline Excel Edge provides longrange
perimeter or fence line monitoring from
60-330m.
Along with wind direction and speed,
worksite employees can both monitor whether
their facility could be emitting harmful gases into
neighbouring areas, or if neighbouring plants
may have leaks of their own that are crossing
on to the facility’s property and need to be
addressed. In both instances, monitoring for gas
emissions shows environmental due diligence
and can help avoid or reduce nes and litigation.
Texaco launches Vartech technology
to remove varnish deposits
Texaco says its Vartech technology solution
for turbines signi cantly improves system
cleanliness, reducing the cost and reliance on
varnish ltration to signi cantly remove
varnish, delivering longer oil life and
helping optimise turbine operation.
According to Texaco, Vartech
technology provides a new
method designed to not only
clean a running system but also
to keep it clean and deposit-free
over time. Vartech technology is
designed to work as a holistic twostep
clean-and-control solution to
help operators reduce the threats of
varnish.
The chemistry of the Vartech Industrial
System Cleaner is said to allow operators to
substantially clean existing varnish out of their
equipment system to prepare it for fresh oil.
Vartech Industrial System Cleaner is designed to
dissolve varnish deposits from internal surfaces
and then stabilise them in the oil for removal
with the used oil. In extensive testing it has
shown greater varnish cleaning e ectiveness
and improved oil and seal compatibility
compared to many alternative
cleaning approaches, Texaco
reports.
Next, Texaco recommends
lling the system with the
appropriate GST Advantage
turbine oil for the operation.
Texaco lubricants formulated with
Vartech technology help limit the
precursors that can precipitate out
of oil leading to varnish formation.
Finally, to ensure ongoing system
performance, Texaco provides a specialised oil
condition monitoring programme (LubeWatch)
to perform regular in-depth varnish analysis.
Paul Sly, Texaco global industrial OEM
specialist said: “This improves system deposit
control and cleanliness, delivering longer oil life.”
Signal Group (UK) has announced
the launch of a new portable gas
analyser, the Solar Xplore. One of
the company’s core technologies
is fl ame ionisation detection (FID)
for the measurement of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), and the
new instrument is said to bring the
advantages of fi xed analysers to a
portable device. Signal’s Stephane
Canadas said: “We have taken the
detachable tablet interface from
our S4 fi xed analysers and built it
into the new instrument.” Using the
tablet, stack testers will be able to
operate the analyser wirelessly from
a convenient location up to 50m
away. Secondly, he says, the new
analyser can be fi tted with twin FIDs,
which means that users will be able
to monitor total VOCs, methane,
and non-methane VOCs (NMVOCs)
simultaneously.
Fluke has launched a new clamp
meter designed to measure solar
installation voltages at the new
standard of 1,500V. The Fluke 393
and 393 FC devices are intended for
the installation and maintenance
of utility scale, large industrial and
commercial scale solar farms.
CompAir has announced the
launch of its new 160, 200 and
250kW FourCore compressor
range. The FourCore range offers
all the capabilities of a two-stage
compressor, but with only the
footprint of a single-stage unit.
When compared with previous
single-stage compressors in this
size range from CompAir, the new
models are up to 8% more effi cient.
At the heart of these latest models
is CompAir’s new GD10-DS airend,
which is where the range takes its
‘FourCore’ name from. This compact,
two-stage airend uses four gears
rather than three, to deliver fl exible
rotor speed adjustment at both low
and high pressures.
SolutionsPT has launched the
AVEVA Teamwork Software as a
Service (SaaS) app. AVEVA Teamwork
brings knowledge sharing and
collaboration capability to enable a
digitally transformed workforce.
Winter 2021 www.operationsengineer.org.uk 97
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