MEMS aids Yokogawa & GasSecure agreement for safety
Yokogawa Electric has signed an agreement with GasSecure AS on the distribution of GasSecure's ISA100 Wireless based gas detectors through Yokogawa's global sales network.
With this agreement, Yokogawa gains access to GasSecure's wireless gas detectors and thereby strengthens its line-up of plant field wireless solutions and enhances its support of health, safety, security, and environment (HSSE) management applications.
This agreement will also allow GasSecure to gain access to Yokogawa's global sales and service network and thereby boost the sales of its wireless gas detectors.
Overview
With a field wireless system, the field devices at a plant are able to communicate wirelessly with host systems that perform functions such as monitoring and control. Wireless communications offer many advantages, including the ability to install field devices in difficult-to-wire locations and reduced cabling costs.
Yokogawa has been developing a wide variety of ISA100 Wireless compliant technologies and devices such as wireless adapters that allow conventional wired devices to access wireless networks.
GasSecure specialises in the development, manufacture, and sale of low power, high reliability wireless gas detectors that are used to monitor for hydrocarbon leaks at offshore platforms, tank farms, industrial plants, and the like. GasSecure's clients include major oil companies and their products are in wide use around the globe.
The growing need to improve plant safety by installing more gas detectors and replacing out of date detection systems is driving the demand for wireless gas detectors, which have the added advantage of eliminating the need for wiring and thus are easier to install and cost less.
As such, Yokogawa will be better able to satisfy its customers' needs by incorporating wireless gas detectors in its field wireless system solutions. At the same time, GasSecure will be able to utilise Yokogawa's global sales and service network to expand its wireless gas detector business.
Also, under the terms of a separate sales agreement that was reached in February of this year, GasSecure will sell Yokogawa's field wireless system devices together with its own gas detection systems.
Features of GasSecure's Wireless Gas Detectors
GasSecure's wireless gas detectors detect leaks of hydrocarbon gas that can cause explosions. Utilising ultra-low power infrared sensors, they perform measurements and send that information wirelessly to the host monitoring system.
As gas leaks are a frequent cause of major plant accidents, it is very important to have a highly reliable gas detection system that keeps plant personnel constantly up to date on any changes in gas concentration levels.
With a five-second response time, GasSecure's wireless gas detectors are able to perform highly specific and reliable infrared measurements of gas concentrations and wirelessly update a host monitoring system.
With their ISA100 Wireless mesh network capability and their reliance on dual redundant communication paths between the detector and the host monitoring system, they are at least the equivalent of any wired alternative with respect to reliability.
With heated optical surfaces for removing condensation, GasSecure's wireless gas detectors are suitable for use in highly humid environments and have excellent availability under a wide range of conditions, from tropical to arctic.
The GasSecure detectors also utilise a stable triple wavelength infrared technology that eliminates the need for calibration for the entire lifetime of the product, something that is not possible with conventional instruments.
The power consumed by these gas detectors averages just 5 mW thanks to the use of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology. Compared to other battery-powered gas detectors, GasSecure's products are claimed to have a much longer battery life, and be more reliable.
Major target markets are the oil & gas, petrochemical, and chemical industries.
Masatoshi Nakahara, director and senior vice president of Yokogawa's Industrial Automation Platform Business Headquarters, comments, "We selected GasSecure, a leading supplier of gas detectors, and believe that their best-in-class ISA100 Wireless solution will allow us to broaden the use of our field wireless systems."
GasSecure's CEO, Knut Sandven, also says, "GasSecure selected Yokogawa for their reliable and high-quality wireless infrastructure. We are very excited about entering into this agreement as it will give us access to Yokogawa's extensive global sales and service network."
