Customisable Gas Detection Systems

The concept is simple; we don’t decide how our products operate - you do.

Our modular design allows us to quickly build a system to meet your needs.

Our current building block modules include;

* Enclosures: To suit your application, including in-process, area monitoring and flue or ventilation control

* Gas sensors: Manufactured by SST or other sensor suppliers

* Power supplies: AC and DC, 24V or mains

* Analogue outputs: Voltage and current

* Digital outputs: PWM, RS232 and RS485 Modbus RTU, Ethernet Modbus TCP and relays

* Alarm outputs: LEDs and buzzers

* User Interface: Intuitive LCD menus for configuration and calibration

GASTRACK proprietary software links the modules and allows new building blocks to be added. We do not define how your system will work; you tell us your requirements and we configure the software to suit; linking the sensors to the outputs.

From stand-alone analysers to a fully integrated gas detection system, we have a solution to suit your needs.

GASTRACK evolution

At SST we have always believed in giving our customers options when it comes to our product families. We pride ourselves on being a value added company.

Sensors are our core business and this is where we first introduced configurable options to our liquid level switches and zirconia oxygen sensors. These were hardware-only options that centred around different housing styles, output types and connectors/cable options.

Next we designed interfaces for our zirconia oxygen sensors to provide a range of standard analogue and digital communication outputs and a 24Vdc power supply.

We then decided to take our own sensors and other manufacturer’s sensors and make an air quality monitor that was completely configurable at time of ordering. Along with the choice of numerous output types we added the option to configure the software to change how the sensors were linked to the outputs. We did this as many products on the market had fixed characteristics and our customers often wanted a slight modification to how their product operated.

We were then approached by a refrigerant leak detection company who liked the air quality monitor but wanted additional features including an HCFC sensor, mains voltage supply, Ethernet and an LCD display. We redesigned the hardware to include the new features and packaged it in a new enclosure adding the capability to configure or calibrate the product using the LCD display on the front panel or using a plug-in configurator/calibrator.

By this point creating a system that allowed thousands of different hardware and software product configurations was a major technical challenge. It required a flexible system that could be implemented to both the product design, but more importantly, to the manufacturing process. Taking this approach was not an easy decision as it is far simpler to launch a range of fixed products. However, experience suggested that such products would rarely meet customers’ exact needs. We wanted to say “yes”.

We needed a platform that would provide flexibility in both hardware and functionality; allow new modules to be added easily and enable existing designs to be reused and so minimise time to market.

GASTRACK was conceived. Our goal: to create a range of products that all made use of the same core component set.

This was achieved by using distributed intelligence. We abandoned the traditional motherboard concept and gave every part of the system its own microcontroller with its own configuration file to independently perform its own tasks in the system.

To create this independent system, we created our own proprietary protocol, Pioneer, allowing all parts of the system to communicate with each other in a structured way, whether it be a standard industrial output or a precision sensor. For sensors we simply pair them with one of our intelligent interfaces to create a “smart sensor” which can then be accessed by all other modules. Once a system is built we give each component its unique instruction set and link it into the system.

GASTRACK products

• Universal Gas Transmitter (UGT) Probe is a robust single gas monitor. With its tough stainless steel housing, it is an ideal solution for measuring process gases.
• Universal Gas Transmitter PCB is a stand-alone gas monitoring solution designed so that you can integrate into your existing installation. Multiple PCBs can be connected to create a system as complex as you require.
• Intelligent Transmitter / Controller (ITC) is a single or dual gas monitoring system ideally suited to laboratories, cellars, factories and other industrial areas. The affordable, wall-mounted ITC System is designed to measure the concentration of any gas in the vicinity. The measured levels can be displayed or indicated locally; or they can be transmitted to a remote monitoring system. Analogue outputs and relays can be configured to enable the ITC to directly control external devices.
• Gas Analyser Probe (GAP) is a single gas monitoring system designed for measuring O2 in the exhaust of combustion applications or to monitor CO2 and control the quality of air in ventilation applications.
• Universal Calibrator is a hand-held device that simplifies calibration and configuration: no need for multimeters or screwdrivers.

Every product in the Gastrack family has proven reliability and stability, as the result of extensive testing.

Whatever your requirements, we have a solution to suit your needs. Ask the expert today!

Please visit us at SENSOR+TEST 2016, Stand 1-233.