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Explosimeter Working Principle: May 1, 2014 5:28 PM Leave A Comment Firoz

The explosimeter works by using a Wheatstone bridge circuit with a hot filament in a combustion chamber to detect combustible gases. A gas sample is drawn into the combustion chamber by an aspirator bulb, where any combustible gases will burn due to the hot filament. This causes the filament's temperature and resistance to rise, unbalancing the bridge circuit and causing a current to flow that is registered on the meter. The meter reading indicates the percentage of the lower flammable limit or parts per million of combustible gas detected. While useful for gas detection, the explosimeter can provide false readings under some conditions like low oxygen or inert gases present.

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237 views

Explosimeter Working Principle: May 1, 2014 5:28 PM Leave A Comment Firoz

The explosimeter works by using a Wheatstone bridge circuit with a hot filament in a combustion chamber to detect combustible gases. A gas sample is drawn into the combustion chamber by an aspirator bulb, where any combustible gases will burn due to the hot filament. This causes the filament's temperature and resistance to rise, unbalancing the bridge circuit and causing a current to flow that is registered on the meter. The meter reading indicates the percentage of the lower flammable limit or parts per million of combustible gas detected. While useful for gas detection, the explosimeter can provide false readings under some conditions like low oxygen or inert gases present.

Uploaded by

Kusum Das
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Explosimeter Working Principle

May 1, 2014 5:28 pm | Leave a Comment | Firoz

The atmosphere of a tank or pump room can be tested


with a combustible gas indicator which is calibrated for
hydrocarbons. Frequently the scale is in terms of the
lower explosive or lower flammable limit (LFL) and
marked as a percentage of the lower limit. Alternatively,
the scale may be marked in parts per million (ppm) .

The combustible gas indicator shown


diagrammatically above consists of a Wheatstone
bridge with current supplied from a battery. When
the bridge resistances are balanced, no current
flows through the galvanometer. One resistance is a
hot filament in a combustion chamber. An aspirator
bulb and flexible tube are used to draw a gas
sample into the chamber. The gas will burn in the
presence of the red hot filament causing the
temperature of the filament to rise. Rise of
temperature increases the resistance of the filament
and this change of filament unbalances the bridge.
The current flow registers on the meter which is
scaled in percentage of LFL or ppm.
A lean mixture will burn in the combustion chamber,
because of the filament. False readings are likely when
oxygen content of the sample is low or when inert gas is
present. The instrument is designed for detecting vapour
in a range up to the lower flammable limit and with large
percentages of gas (rich mixture) a false zero reading may
also be obtained.
The instrument and batteries must be tested before use
and samples are taken from as many places as possible
particularly from the tank bottom. It is possible to obtain a
reading for any hydrocarbon but not for other combustible
gases on an instrument which is scaled for hydrocarbons.
Detection of other vapours must be by devices intended
for the purpose.
The explosimeter is primarily a combustible gas detector
but will also give guidance with regard to safety of a
space for entry by personnel. If a space has
been ventilated to remove vapours, the remaining
concentration can be measured with explosimeter,
provided that it is below the lower flammable range.
Generally any needle deflection above zero is taken as
indicating a toxic condition.
Crude oils contain all of the hydrocarbon products
extracted in the refinery and many of the products are
highly toxic. Benzene (C2H6) is an example and its low
threshold limit value (TLV) of 10 ppm indicates this. Sour
Crude oils carry highly toxic hydrogen sulphide (H2S)
with a TLV also of 10 ppm. Petrol (Gasoline) has a TLV
of 300 ppm. Entry to the cargo tanks and pump-rooms of
a crude oil carrier exposes personnel to these risks. These
are additional risks involved in the tank entry, where inert
gas has been used. The inert gas adds the risk of Carbon
monoxide (CO) which has a TLV of 50 ppm; Nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) with 3 ppm; nitric oxide (NO) with 25
ppm; and sulphur dioxide (SO2) with 2 ppm. Trace
amounts of the hydrocarbon products which are very
dangerous, and other toxic gases which may be present,
require special means of detection. Threshold limit values
are updated annually and given in
references available from health and safety authorities.
 
REFERENCES 

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