At IMHX 2019, Pyroban® offered visitors the chance to see live demos of their active gas detection systems, system6000™ and Gascheka™.
Pyroban Technical Services Manager, Darren Boiling, was on hand at the show to talk through Pyroban’s system6000 and how it keeps people safe who are operating in Zone 2 hazardous areas.
What is Zone 2?
A Zone 2 area is classed as an atmosphere where ‘a mixture of air and flammable substances in the form of gas, vapour or mist is not likely to occur in normal operation’, however it still can.
Zone 2 areas are commonly found in transport or storage operations in the chemical, pharmaceutical, coatings, beverage, waste and logistics industries, among many others.
system6000 – visual and audible warnings in Zone 2 areas
system6000 is Pyroban’s solution combining active gas detection for Zone 2 with other specialist protection technologies to help keep people safe. It can be applied to most makes and types of diesel or electric equipment, such as reach, pallet, stacker and counterbalance trucks, VNA and picking equipment.
How does system6000 protect Zone 2 areas?
system6000 alerts drivers, both audibly and visually, to the presence of a release of gas or vapour. In a Zone 2 area, an accidental release can cause an unnecessary risk for not only drivers, but anyone in the surrounding area.
Pyroban Technical Services Manager, Darren Boiling, demonstrated system6000 working within a Zone 2 hazardous area with a live working system.
The scenario was an accidental release of a gas. In this case a simple deodorant was used in the demo.
Once the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) reaches 10% propane in air, the driver gets both an audible warning, as well as a visual one. At this point, the driver should make anyone in their immediate surroundings aware of the potential risk and danger, as well as navigate the truck away from the area.
If this level continues to increase to 25% LEL, the truck is automatically brought to a controlled stop. At this point, the truck is shut down.
The driver is then unable to reset the truck after it has shut down. In order for the truck to be reset, the Supervisor / Manager will need to complete the reset process with their special key fob. This ensures that any accidental releases of gas or vapour can be recorded and any ‘near misses’ aren’t forgotten and can be learned from in the future.
Why is system6000 the best option for Zone 2?
Whereas a passive system would continue to function and effectively leave operators blind to the hazardous release of gases or vapour by not alerting anyone, an active system such as system6000 brings a lift truck to a controlled stop before any preventable explosions have the chance to occur.
For more information on system6000, visit www.pyroban.com or contact Pyroban on +44 (0) 1273 456800.
