Dr Jörg Kelleter of GTE tells International Fire Buyer about the company’s Adicos detection system and the applications it is used in Tell us about the Adicos system and how it works What we do is specialised fire detection. The aim of the Adicos system is the detection of smouldering fires in industrial environments, as early as possible. This is in line with a concept in German powerplants – they have a standard concept for fire detection. The idea is the following: First, to detect the fire as early as possible; second, to send someone to inspect the location; and third, to decide on the course of action to take – stopping a machine, or cooling something with water, for example. This will be followed by operating a semi-automatic extinguishing system, if there is one present. The actual extinguishing must, of course, be done by trained professionals on-site and the fire brigade must be called early. This is a bit different to, say, the British mindset, where extinguishing early by hand and then calling in the fire brigade is preferred. Many smouldering fires in industrial applications, where for example gas is present or coal is being transported, start very small, and if you are able to detect them while they are still small you can react differently to how the fire brigade would. For example, you could cover the fire with a carpet or sand or use a hand fire extinguisher. Therefore it is important to have an early detection system in place, which has to be reliable. This means that in an industrial setting you usually cannot use a smoke detector, because of false alarms caused by dust. You therefore have to use an alternative system, such as gas detection or infrared. In gas detection, we look at at least three different gases: Carbon Monoxide (CO), a smouldering fire gas that occurs in all types of smouldering fires; Hydrogen, which is formed by CO reacting on hot surfaces – so it’s an indicator of heat; and certain types of hydrocarbons – gases that smell. These three gases are detected through multi-sensor variation, which allows us to distinguish between fire and non-fire situations. For example, if you have a hall where vehicles such as trucks and forklifts are present, those vehicles will be producing exhaust gases. Those gases will also contain CO and Hydrogen, and if you combine the typical pattern of CO, Hydrogen and hydrocarbons, then you can distinguish between the overall patterns of exhaust gases, smouldering fires and open flames. This example shows that the detector should be parameterised. The user cannot just buy the detector and plug it in, but they must first understand the demands of the application, and then plug it in and calibrate it. This is what GTE, where I do development of the product, does. We develop the Adicos detectors and we do a, let’s say, start-up service. We are the developers and installers of the product, but not the installers. We partner with standard installers and planners, like Bosch and Siemens, and they take our product and install it and set it up. At the beginning of the set-up we can remotely access the product and parameterise it for the scenario it is in. We work with the customer on the basis of recorded background situations. They might say that a gas is present, but no detectors can work out exactly what gas it is. The customer might say that there are lorries or coal being transported, but we record the signals for a period of time, say two weeks, until we can define what is a background situation and what is a potential fire situation. How long have you been working on Adicos? We started development approximately 20 years ago in cooperation with RWE, the second largest energy company in Germany. Prototypes were made a couple of years later. In between, we had to calibrate and optimise the product to ensure a state-of-the-art detection system for German powerplants. What are the main applications where the system is installed? The main places are anywhere where coal is handled. Harbours, the places where the coal is transferred on belts to processing plants, silos, and so on. The next step is biomass. Wood chips and wood pellets come in from Canada, and we’ll be focusing on the same thing – belts, silos, harbours. How would Adicos have to be adapted to be able to deal with biomass installations? The fire gases are nearly the same. All we have to do is calibrate the background scenarios. The out-gassing of biomass is different to that of coal. The detector itself doesn’t change, but the parameterisation does. Nowadays, some power plants handle both coal and biomass, and many transport so-called ‘secondary fuel’. In more everyday terms, this is waste that has been treated somehow. In that case, we have to regard background gases due to, for example, bacteria, which activate a fermentation process in the waste. These processes release Hydrogen as well. There are many processes that release Hydrogen in the installations we deal with. Biomass, of course, with the bacteria, but also chemical processes. If metal reacts with water and oxidises, that produces Hydrogen as well. Would you say that Adicos is best used in dirty environments? Dusty. We get problems if it is wet. If condensation appears then steps have to be taken to keep the detector dry. But if you have a high dust load, it is the best system. We also have a detector suitable for the ATEX Zone 20 regulation, which means it can be used in areas with explosive dust. We have some applications where biomass is stored – the green material directly from the forest. This material may produce explosive gas, but may also produce high moisture, which may block the sensors if it condenses on its surface. In these cases, you have to heat the detector to avoid condensation. There was a big powerplant in Tilbury near London

Camille Azzi, Senior Engineer at GexCon, tells International Fire Buyer about how Computational Fluid Dynamics can be used to design fire-proof offshore installations Fires and explosions are known as the most serious hazards in the offshore industry. This fact also applies to the oil and gas sector in general, in environments where hydrocarbon is produced, processed and stored. Loss of containment of hydrocarbons, when ignited immediately, leads to fire, while a delayed ignition leads to explosion normally followed by fire as well. Several types of fires can be encountered on offshore facilities: Pool fires occur as result of ignition of liquid fuel spill. This can also take the form of a fire on a flowing liquid. If the liquid is contained under high pressure, the fire is therefore known as jet spray fire. Following a gas leak event, an immediate ignition would result in a jet fire. If the ignition is delayed, the released gas would be dispersed and mixed with air resulting in a flash fire followed by jet fire (providing the gas leakage continues). Delayed gas leak ignition can also result in explosions if the fuel and air are in the flammable pre-mixed state and some congestion or confinement is available. Jet fires would also follow explosions providing the gas release is sustained. There is no doubt, therefore, that fires pose serious hazards on offshore installations and the personnel operating them and even the environment. It is therefore beneficial to take all precautions and use all available advanced tools to protect offshore installations against fire. CFD for safe design Safety has been traditionally handled by fulfilling the regulations settled by standards according to each country. Rules are commonly updated or modified in the wake of large accidents where lessons are learned. Passive accident-triggered safety approach has not been adequate enough and thus the industry have been moving towards the proactive performance based design. Accordingly, the assessment of design safety performance necessitates the use of state-of-the-art simulation tools. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models are the most advanced tools available to predict the consequences of a fire event. So what could be learned in the aftermath of an accident can be predicted and estimated in advance. The safety performance of a design can therefore be evaluated before a fire event arising in the facility. Field-based tools, as called in the fire protection society, have been extensively used in the residential fire safety to predict smoke propagation in complex buildings such hostels, hospitals, high-rise buildings, etc. Similarly, the offshore industry is using CFD software for numerous applications where some will be cited here. The impact of fire effluents on personnel can be quantified by the simulation tools. The integrity of primary structure offshore is of paramount importance and thus simulations can be used to evaluate the survivability of installation and assess whether evacuation can be completed before collapse should it occur. Not to mention that CFD can be effectively used to optimise the application of active and passive fire protection on offshore facility, which can reduce costs related to installation and maintenance of fire protection. CFD for crisis management CFD simulations are currently being adapted for use in emergency preparedness and crisis management. Many unfortunate events, which could have been tackled without damage, escalated into major accidents. These accidents could have been avoided should the decision-making been aided by processed data based on CFD simulations. Simulation data on a given installation can be post-processed and analysed in order to develop response to certain hazards. Moreover, available simulation data can be made available, on demand, to aid crisis management such as evacuation through smoke free routes in a fire event. CFD for accident investigations It can be stated that CFD is extensively used to settle a proactive safety culture rather than a passive one driven by accidents. Nevertheless, accidents can be reduced but not totally eliminated. In the event of accidents, investigations are quite vital in order to identify the root causes. Understanding the cause of accidents can help avoiding it in the future. CFD tools can be used to replicate the scenarios of accidents and sequence of events that took place. Many accidents such as the Buncefield (onshore) and Piper Alpha (offshore) were better understood and explained through CFD simulations. CFD tools For many years, the use of CFD models (such as GexCon’s FLACS) in explosion safety for offshore installations became the industry standard and is even required by regulations in some countries. The implementation of similar advanced tools for fire related consequence modelling has however been much slower. With the advent of new software tools, ever-faster desktop computers and improved user interfaces, more advanced fire simulation models are becoming more accessible to a wider range of fire safety engineers. Thus, computer simulations are becoming a viable option for many types of design aspects. NIST’s FDS has been widely used for residential fire applications mostly smoke propagation. Similarly, COMPUTIT’s KFX has been used for hydrocarbon fires applications. Now GexCon has recently launched the Fire module in FLACS, which allows fire simulations in line with the dispersion and explosion simulation capabilities available in the code. The new module has been used internally for a while but recently launched to external users. Below are some illustrations of typical offshore fires simulated by GexCon’s FLACS. Figure 1 depicts the flame contours of a jet fire on-board in a Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) at sea. Figure 2 shows the resulting heat fluxes on critical elements of the ship due to the same fire event. Depicted in Figure 3 is a jet fire and the resulting heat fluxes on a platform. Figure 1: Propane jet fire on-board FPSO Figure 2: Incident heat fluxes on firewall resulting from the propane jet fire Figure 3: Jet fire and incident heat fluxes on the deck of a platform

The LPCB-approved 3MTM Novec 1230 System FSL, the UK-based expert in fire suppression system manufacturing and provision, announces they are to distribute the LPCB approved “Firetrace 1230” system. Engineered for use with 3MTM NovecTM 1230, the 25 bar Firetrace 1230 system boasts all the benefits that Novec 1230 has to offer. With exceptional environmental credentials, Novec fire protection fluid has a zero ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential) a GWP (Global Warming Potential) of just one, and maximum atmospheric lifetime of only five days. It is stored as a fluid and discharged as a gas. “The Firetrace 1230 system completes FSL’s set of engineered clean agent gaseous suppression systems and we are very excited to partner with Firetrace in launching the Firetrace 1230 system on to the European market.” said David Adkins, Director of FSL. With seven cylinder sizes ranging from 15 to 180 ltr. capacity, the Firetrace 1230 system hardware offers FSL’s customers a choice of fills to meet specific requirements, ensuring maximum economy in installation. All cylinders are manufactured from high strength alloy steel and are both TPED and CE marked. The Firetrace 1230 system is available with immediate effect from FSL. Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid is a next generation HFC and halon replacement, designed to balance concerns for human safety, performance and the environment. It is non-conductive, non-corrosive and fast evaporating – designed to protect sensitive components and other critical assets. Applications include data centers, data processing and control rooms, telecommunications, marine applications, oil and gas applications, and museums and historical archives. Novec 1230 fluid leaves no residue and does not damage equipment or require any cleanup. Launched in 2013, FSL as a company prides itself on being a small, close knit team of dynamic individuals who place the customer at the heart of everything they do. The team work tirelessly to provide and maintain high fulfillment and delivery standards and are always looking to improve and do better for the customers long term benefit. FSL is a part of Nitin Fire Protection Industries Limited (BSE: NSE), a leading name in fire protection throughout India, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Asia and Europe. FSL provides a wide range of inert and chemical gas suppression systems and places customer service at the very heart of its business. In addition, and to complement their suppression systems, FSL offers a comprehensive range of internationally approved fire detection systems.

RE-HEALING™ Foam named winner of EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Award The Solberg Company, the world’s foremost innovator of firefighting foam concentrates and systems hardware announced today the company was named a winner of the 2014 EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. Awards are presented in five categories: Academic, Small Business, Greener Synthetic pathways, Greener Reaction Conditions and Designing Greener Chemicals. Solberg was honored with the category award for Designing Greener Chemicals for its development and commercialization of RE-HEALING™ Foam. RE-HEALING foam concentrates from SOLBERG are an innovative environmentally sustainable fluorosurfactant and fluoropolymer-free firefighting foam used to effectively extinguish Class B fuels with no environmental concerns regarding persistence, bioaccumulation or toxic breakdown. The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards promote the environmental and economic benefits of developing and using novel green chemistry. These prestigious annual awards recognize chemical technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use. EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention sponsors the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards in partnership with the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute® and other members of the chemical community including industry, trade associations, academic institutions, and other government agencies. "Firefighting foams suppress combustion by smothering burning fuels and cooling fires. For years, these foams have used long-chain fluorinated surfactants as the ‘active ingredient’," stated Solberg’s General Manager Steve Hansen. "But they have significant toxicity concerns, thus Solberg developed RE-HEALING foam specifically to address the use of fluorinated surfactants. RE-HEALING foam replaces halogenated materials with a blend of non- fluorinated surfactants and complex carbohydrates." Over the 19 years of the awards program, EPA has presented awards to 98 winners. From its inception in 1996, until 2014, EPA has received nearly 1,500 nominations. By recognizing groundbreaking scientific solutions to real-world environmental problems, the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge has significantly reduced the hazards associated with designing, manufacturing, and using chemicals. An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute formally judged submissions from among scores of nominated technologies and made recommendations to EPA for the 2014 winners. "We are truly honored to receive this award," continued Hansen. "We are profoundly committed to developing high performing foam products that have an environment-friendly profile to protect our fragile environment. The Green Chemistry Award confirms that next generation product that does not contain halogenated materials can be commercialized and more importantly will have an impact on firefighting foam something the fire protection industry has not experienced in fifty years since in the introduction of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF)." "Solberg now offers the world’s only true fluorine-free foam concentrate that is multiagency product certified (UL, FM, EN, ICAO). RE-HEALING foam is a very effective firefighting foam concentrate for flame knockdown, fire control, extinguishment and burn-back resistance" said Dave Pelton, Vice President Global Marketing for Solberg. "Control, extinguishing time, and burn-back resistance is paramount to the safety of firefighters everywhere, and RE-HEALING foam has shown excellent performance in each category." Solberg, the firefighting foam products division of Amerex Corporation is based in Green Bay, Wisconsin with operations in Bergen, Norway and Sydney, Australia. The company has been involved with the manufacture of firefighting foams since the mid-1970s. In addition to the RE-HEALNG foam product line, Solberg manufactures a complete range of C6 compliant AFFF/AR-AFFF foam concentrates, Class A and High-Expansion foam concentrates including foam systems hardware. Solberg’s unique technology is preferred by customers in the aviation, chemical, fire service, mining, oil and gas, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, solvent and coatings and utility markets.

Control buildings and pumping stations are protected Intelligent fire systems leader, Advanced has been selected to protect critical infrastructure along a 1,600km Sudanese oil pipeline. Control buildings and pumping stations along the pipeline, which plays an important part in the country’s infrastructure, are being protected by Advanced’s Axis EN intelligent fire systems and ExGo extinguishant control panels. The Sudanese Petroleum Pipeline Company commissioned Globaltec Security & Safety Systems, who are working with Advanced’s partner AIRfire Worldwide, to install fire protection and suppression control right along the double pipeline, which runs 800km from Khartoum, the country’s capital, to Port Sudan. Advanced products were selected for their reputation for quality, ease-of-use and reliability. Sergi Andreu, spokesperson for AIRfire Worldwide, said: “This pipeline is vital to the Sudanese economy, and required a fire system that could deliver long-term reliability, as well as helping to ensure the safety of the workforce. We are well aware of the quality and robustness of Advanced’s products and their Axis EN and ExGo ranges were the obvious choices for this project. So far we have completed four installations along the pipeline and we have several more in progress.” Axis EN is Advanced’s EN54 2, 4 and 13 approved fire system and offers leading performance and flexibility. It is available in 1-8 loop formats as standard, and supports up to 240 devices per loop. The speed and performance of Advanced’s networking is well known and 200 panels can be easily networked together in standard or fault tolerant configurations. Axis EN includes a full range of modules, peripherals and intelligent field devices, including a complete wireless range, and is one of the few fire systems with full approval to EN54 Part 13. It is configured and maintained with Advanced’s Dynamix Tools fire panel software, making it simple to commission, service and manage. ExGo is Advanced’s extinguishant and suppression control system, which has been developed specifically for sensitive and strategic assets such as server rooms, historic and cultural attractions and control rooms. It has been installed in high-profile buildings across the globe, including the Khartoum-Port Sudan Pipeline, where it has been linked to AIRfire Inert fire suppression system using IG-100 agent. Etienne Ricoux, Advanced’s Export Sales Manager, commented: “Advanced is renowned for making things easy, even on more complex installations such as this. We worked closely with the AIRfire Worldwide and Globaltec teams to deliver an integrated system that will help to ensure safety and reliability on the pipeline for many years to come. Both Axis EN and ExGo represent the cutting edge of fire systems technology and they also offer the capacity to be upgraded and expanded in the future. Abdellal Ibrahim Mohamed Elnohi, spokesperson for the Sudanese Petroleum Pipeline Company, said: “We were looking for a solution that could be applied to all key installations along the pipeline and we were very impressed by the systems that Advanced were able to offer us. This network is vital to the smooth running of the Sudanese oil industry, and to the nation as a whole, so we need to have total confidence in the fire systems installed and our experience has been a very positive one.” Axis is Advanced’s flagship fire systems brand which delivers fire systems to international and local approvals worldwide including EN54 2, 4 and 13 and UL864. Axis’ device and peripheral ranges make it customisable to almost any application and it’s found in prestigious and challenging locations in over 60 countries. ExGo is suitable for almost all single-flooding area applications and includes a range of control options and devices. It is approved to EN54 parts 2, 4 and 13 and EN12094-1 and is among the first systems to combine these with EN12094 Part 3 in a single solution. EN12094-3 relates to the integrated manual release on the front of the panel. ExGo can be integrated into Advanced’s Axis EN fire systems or any third party fire alarm system. Advanced is a world leader in the development and manufacture of intelligent fire systems. Its legendary performance, quality and ease-of-use sees its products used in prestigious and challenging locations all over the world, from single panel installations to large multi-site networks. Advanced products include complete fire detection systems, multi-protocol fire panels, extinguishing control and fire paging systems. More details can be found on the website at www.advancedco.com.

Adding in-house customer support capabilities Golden State Fire Apparatus, celebrating its 25th Anniversary in October 2014, today announced a move to new offices and service center facilities located at 7400 Reese Road in Sacramento beginning on January 8, 2015. The three-acre campus features a renovated 30,000-square-foot maintenance facility with space for up to 18 apparatus bays, making Golden State Fire Apparatus a single source provider for sales and service. “After careful deliberation, and a comprehensive site selection process, we are relocating to a facility that includes a dedicated fire apparatus service department staffed by Golden State employees who are Pierce and EVT certified,” said Ryan Wright, vice president, Golden State Fire Apparatus. “Moving to California’s capital city is a major commitment and long-term investment that will benefit Pierce customers across Central and Northern California as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary.” “Golden State Fire Apparatus, led by the Wright family, is an outstanding team and we’re excited to see this move to a campus with comprehensive in-house customer support capabilities,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “For a quarter of a century, the Golden State brand has stood for excellence; this move paves the way to further support and carry on their tradition of putting the customer first.” The new headquarters is situated on three acres, and its 30,000-square-foot maintenance facility is conveniently located near Highway 99 (close to the Interstate 80 and Highway 50 interchanges) with easy access to the Bay Area and Interstate 5 corridor. The new Golden State facilities will feature a dedicated 2,600 square-foot parts distribution department stocked with an extensive inventory. The service and repair staff includes EVT certified service and support professionals (with more than 80 years of experience), backed by Pierce’s service and training department. Among its services, Golden State will offer comprehensive warranty support, technical support, mobile service, equipment mounting, and pump testing. The company also plans to develop a strategically located network of service providers throughout its territory. “We’ve had this vision for quite some time, and now it’s becoming a reality,” explained Wright. “Meeting the needs of our customers with new Pierce apparatus – and a full parts and service department – is a win-win for everyone.” For more information, call 916-330-1638, visit www.goldenstatefire.com and join the conversation at www.facebook.com/GoldenStateFire.

1,300 exhibitors from more than 40 countries Dr Thomas de Maizière, Minister of the Interior, has praised the commitment of the many volunteers working with Germany’s technical civil defense organisation, the voluntary fire service and other relief organisations. According to de Maizière, who is also serving as the patron of Interschutz 2015 in Hannover, approximately 1,7 million volunteers form the backbone of Germany’s civil protection services. The country’s unique voluntary services enjoy inestimable esteem worldwide. On the same note, de Maizière described the international trade fair for fire protection and disaster relief as a top international event, adding: ‘I wish Interschutz every success and hope that civil protection will benefit from the technological innovations on display at the show.’ 1,300 exhibitors from more than 40 countries With still eight months to go before Interschutz 2015 opens in Hannover, the demand for exhibition space has been remarkably high. This International Exhibition for Rescue, Fire Prevention, Disaster Relief, Safety and Security, which is staged every five years by Deutsche Messe, generally attracts around 1,300 exhibitors from more than 40 countries. Interschutz is sponsored by a number of professional organisations, including the German Fire Protection Association (vfdb), the German Fire Services Association (Deutsche Feuerwehrverband e. V.) and the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). Interschutz has attracted a unique mix of commercial and non-commercial exhibitors whose participation ensures groundbreaking conferences and an excellent supporting program. With this lineup, visitors can be sure that every aspect of safety and security is covered. Interschutz has long since ceased to be an event dedicated exclusively to the fire services,’ stressed Dr. Jochen Köckler, Member of the Managing Board at Deutsche Messe with responsibility for Interschutz 2015. ‘The event has evolved into a global event for all security and safety related areas.’ Interest has grown internationally as a result. Deutsche Messe has addressed the trend that has emerged over the past few months by allocating additional display space (Hall 25) to accommodate the growing demand for space in the categories fire prevention, disaster relief, rescue and security. Thus exhibits in Hall 25 will focus mainly on the themes of rescue and disaster relief also featured in Hall 26 and become a hub for professionals from these sectors. Halls 25 and 27 will provide manufacturers a platform for their firefighting vehicles, equipment and diverse accessories. The meeting-place for professionals in the fire protection sector is located in Hall 13, while exhibitors in Hall 12 will stage displays focusing on safety and security. Hall 12 will also feature a special meeting-place called: Security & CRI!SE, as well as displays of protective gear and communication technology. The displays in the exhibition halls will be complemented by presentations on the large open-air site and test tracks, where visitors can experience numerous exciting demonstrations. Display space totaling more than 85,000 m² in five exhibition halls and on the open-air site has already been booked. ‘The final figure is likely to reach as much as 90,000 m²,’ predicted Köckler. ‘The many interesting new products are not the sole reason why visitors from Germany and further afield will find a trip to Hannover for Interschutz 2015 worthwhile,’ said Dr. Köckler. ‘It’s the right place for anyone seeking interesting job offers and information, thanks to the ‘job and career’ project, which employers may also want to use to head hunt.’ Joint pavilions such as ‘Innovation made in Germany’ provide new German companies with an opportunity to showcase their latest developments, as well as recent trends in fire prevention, disaster management and civil security. The importance and vast scope of Interschutz is underlined by the CRI!SE – Critical Infrastructure Event, a forum which deals with the protection of critical infrastructures. Furthermore, several hundred professionals will be taking part in a large congress for rescue services which is organised by the Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe (Order of St. John’s) and the vfdb (German Fire Protection Association). There will also be several displays of physical prowess, including the contest called ‘TFA ­Toughest Fire-fighter Alive’, which is considered to be the world’s ultimate test of a firefighter’s strength, coordination and physical condition, as well as the German rope rescue championship with more than 100 contestants from every state in Germany taking part.

At COS+H in China Wilson Tan, Regional Business Leader of Honeywell Industrial Safety Sensors APAC, delivered a keynote speech at this year’s China Occupational Safety and Health exhibition (COS+H) to stress the importance of gas sensors in ensuring worker safety. The event, held in Beijing on 23-25 September, is the largest occupational safety and health show in APAC and attracted more than 20,000 visitors this year. Honeywell company City Technology joined Honeywell Safety Products on booth A13 to showcase new gas sensor technologies such as the new long life oxygen sensor designed to improve the performance of gas detectors in challenging environments. Other new solutions included the CAT16 flammable sensor and toxic sensors. The presentation entitled ‘How gas sensing technologies are responding to emerging health and safety trends in industrial gas detection’ delivered on 24 September, attracted more than 100 delegates. Topics discussed included recent advances in oxygen detection and flammable gas sensing, and how new technologies can help achieve the maximum level of worker safety protection. City Technology is the world’s leading supplier of gas sensors, producing 4.5m sensors per annum. City’s sensors are widely used in industrial safety, a market seeing significant growth due to tighter health and safety regulations. Wilson commented, “Due to more stringent health and safety requirements we are seeing a much wider use of gas detectors in South East Asia. These detectors need to perform flawlessly in extreme industrial environments, with reduced field failures and immunity to false alarms which are costing the industry millions of dollars in downtime. Our new long life oxygen sensors are a great example of how sensor technology is responding to industry challenges as they are optimised to perform in extreme temperatures and deliver the fastest response times. As a new exhibitor to COS+H, we were keen to outline how the best performing sensors can result in improved gas detector performance and ultimately greater protection of people and assets.”

25 fire engines and about 100 firefighters tackled the blaze  Firefighters are investigating the cause of a major blaze at Didcot B power station in Oxfordshire. At its height, 25 fire engines and about 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at the gas-fired station, which broke out at about 20:00 BST on Sunday. The station was partially shut down, but Energy Secretary Ed Davey said National Grid had assured him that there was no risk to energy supplies. The fire was extinguished at about midnight and no-one was injured. Simon Furlong, assistant chief fire officer, said three fire engines were still at the scene on Monday morning and he expected them to be there for at least the next 24 hours. "This was a serious fire which began in one of Didcot B power station’s cooling towers and spread to three other cooling towers," he said. "I expect that it will take some time to determine the reasons behind what actually happened." The blaze began in a cooling tower and spread to three others because of strong wind. Dave Bray, the fire service’s incident commander, said: "We have extinguished the fire, although there are hot spots that are remaining within the structure. "It is now the challenge of getting to these and dampening them down." Mr Bray said firefighters faced "significant challenges" during the blaze because the cooling towers were predominantly made of wood. An automatic alarm system alerted the fire service, but the first call was actually from a member of the public at Great Western Park in Didcot, he said. (Source:BBC)