Real-Time Gas Monitoring Solutions

IHW sat down with the experts at Gasmet Technologies to discuss the benefits of real-time gas monitoring and how it can help industrial hygienists protect their people in a myriad of ways.

What are the benefits of real-time gas monitoring vs. passive monitoring for the industrial hygienist?

Real-time gas monitoring provides an IH with a complete understanding of the situation. When gas levels reach or exceed exposure limits, they can assess the process conditions and/or worker practices and take protective measures. The attached presentation by Duke University Stefanie Caler illustrates this when using a Gasmet gas analyzer to measure formaldehyde in a pathology laboratory.

Can you explain how real-time monitoring helps industrial hygienists in tracking staff workflows and minimizing their exposures to toxic/harmful gases?

Refer to “Real World Applications of Portable FTIR Gas Analysis at an Academic Medical Center” by Stephanie Caler, Duke University (6/3/2020)

The Gasmet GT5000 Terra is said to be “the most powerful portable solution for measuring the concentration of hazardous gases inside enclosed spaces.” For which types of closed spaces is this gas-measurement tool designed?

The GT5000 is well suited for monitoring all confined spaces; however, specific applications where it is deployed is in chemical plants planned maintenance events (also called turnarounds).  Workers must go inside process vessels to perform maintenance and cleaning. While purging of the vessels occurs ahead of time, the GT5000 is used to ensure that the vessel is safe for entry by testing for low ppm levels of toxic gases such as hydrogen fluoride, benzene, nickel carbonyl, 1,3-butadiene, vinyl chloride, acetonitrile, etc.

Why is gas measurement in shipping containers especially challenging?

Shipping containers are the conduit of the multi-billions of annual global economic trades. Containers are filled with materials in one location, sealed shut, transported to the customer who receives the container perhaps months later. The materials inside the container where its furniture, mechanical parts, chemicals, medical devices, etc., …  will “off-gas” creating a potentially toxic environment. Before a worker opens the received container, it is very important to perform a gas test to ensure it is safe to open. The GT5000 can identify the presence of over 5,000 gases.

How does the Gasmet GT5000 help with gas analysis and measurement in shipping containers, specifically?

Clients using the GT5000 to test shipping containers will sample the air in the container before opening the doors and the Calcmet software running on the ruggedized tablet with notify the tester if the container is safe or not to open.  Containers where gas alarms occur are sent to a special processing area where abatement equipment is used to capture and treat the toxic gas(es).­­­ 

Tell us about some of the other features of the Gasmet GT5000 Terra that make it a good choice for those tasked with measuring hazardous gases in enclosed spaces.

The GT5000 offers a very powerful gas testing option. Traditional gas detectors look for presence of 4 gases (LEL, O₂ deficiency, H₂S & CO), newer gas detector will incorporate a PID (photo-ionization detector) which can sense the presence of other gases such as VOC’s.   The GT5000 provides the ability to accurately quantify at sub-ppm ~ 500 gases & vapor and identify over 5,000 gases. This provides significantly enhanced protection for workers exposure to toxic gases in enclosed spaces.

How does the Gasmet GT5000’s internal battery and sample pump make measurement easier?

The GT5000 operates from AC power or to provide flexibility in field applications by a rechargeable battery. This allows the user to carry or mount the GT5000 in its optional back harness and collect gas readings in the work area. The internal sample pump actively draws the test gas into the GT5000, and updated readings can be viewed as quickly as every 5 seconds on the Gasmet ruggedized tablet.

How does the Calcmet software, used to operate the GT5000 Terra, assist with analyzing gas samples?

The Calcmet software is patented software now in its 14^th edition.  It is pre-installed on a Gasmet tablet which communicates with the GT5000 by several options including Blue-tooth, Wi-Fi, and USB cable. The Calcmet software, specifically the EASY version, operates the GT5000 via its intuitive Windows interface. It updates and displays the gas readings (up to 25 gases simultaneously), provides a running trend of the gases over time and saves the measurement data to a text file which can be imported directly into MS Excel™ spreadsheet.  The Calcmet EASY software allows the GT5000 to be operated by non-technical staff, which occurs often in the container measurement application.

What are the differences between the Calcmet Easy and Calcmet Expert versions of the software?

The Calcmet EASY software is designed for users with a known list of gases performing routine gas testing applications. In advanced applications such as hazmat or emergency response where the chemical is “unknown” the Calcmet EXPERT software provides a powerful Identification Tool feature.  This feature compares the measured gas sample taken by the GT5000 against the ~ 5,500 gas reference libraries (Gasmet & NIST) and performs a “fingerprint” identification. This can all be performed within minutes of arriving at the incident site.

The Calcmet software includes “indicators of danger or unknown compounds.” How does Calcmet address these situations, and is it “user-friendly” for the person doing the analysis?

The Calcmet software displays both user programmable gas concentration alarms and a residual alarm which alerts the user of an “unknown” gas. The alert is notified by a RED ALARM at the bottom of the gas readings. The “unknown” gas or gases is defined as a gas not currently in the active application library.  This is the alert for the GT5000 operator to click the Identify button. The Calcmet software will then perform a search using the Identification Tool and display a list of gas(es) that match the “Unknown” gases.  If the gas(es) identified are contained in Gasmet ~ 500 quantification library, the user can quickly add the gas to the application library. This allows the user to accurately measure and quantify the toxic gas and locate its source (if applicable).