TWA Monitoring Solution for Petrochemical Plants Provided

Inherently, petrochemical plants are home to a host of hazardous, combustible gases which present significant risks during production.  It is paramount that all plant practices, warnings, and emergency procedures are observed at all times.

At any point a large and complex amount of gases, which lead to atmospheric contamination hazards, will be present. Both flammable gases and toxic gases present serious hazards, common hazardous materials encountered on a refinery site include; benzene, ammonia, chlorine, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and sulphuric based gases.

Produced as a by product of incomplete combustion, carbon monoxide is an ever present gas that is frequently found on petrochem sites. Commonly known as the ‘silent killer’, CO can cause severe health effects which has resulted in the HSE imposing a current TWA of 30ppm.

Ammonia is a widely used chemical and is predominantly used on petrochem sites as a production gas to manufacture fertilisers and a variety of inorganic chemicals. Exposure to low concentrations of ammonia over a period of time can cause rapid skin and eye irritation, when inhaled it can be very toxic causing severe irritation of the lungs. Due to the severity of its health effects, the EH40 guidelines set a TWA of 35ppm

Benzene is used in the manufacturing of plastics and rubber products; it is an aromatic and is recognised as a carcinogenic and a health hazard. Due to its health hazards, the 8 hour TWA for benzene has been reduced to 1ppm

The gastec dosi-tube system from a1-cbiss (UK) is the perfect solution for measuring Time Weighted Averages. Able to be worn using a simple tube holder, the tube can be placed within the breathing zone of people in the work place to measure TWA values. The Gastec detector tubes provide an almost instantaneous response time which is readable directly on the tube without the use of the gastec sampling pump or any further lab analysis

Measurement values of the dosi-tubes can then be used to assess the working environment by comparing them with the occupational exposure limited recommended by the Health and Safety executive in the EH40 Exposure Limit booklet.

 Choosing from a wide range of inexpensive gastec detector tubes and teaming it with the reusable dosi-holder eliminates the need to make multiple visits to change gas type, allowing you to accurately make repeated day-to-day TWA measurements.