Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Interscan Sets the Standard in Gas Detection Best Practices
Since the company's founding in 1975, Interscan has hammered the point that calibration is 90 percent of successful gas detection. And, most within the industry agree...as long as it's easy. Unfortunately, calibration is only easy for a relatively small number of gases.
More than that, for many important toxic gases--including formaldehyde, ethylene oxide, and chlorine--permeation devices must be utilized to effect calibration. Regrettably, such devices have not always been fully documented. One issue has been especially confusing: The matter of the so-called "K" constant, used in permeation tube calculations.
A recent posting on Interscan's Gas Detection Knowledge Base, entitled "Rigorous discussion of 'K' value and best way to calculate gas concentration" has been attracting plenty of attention.
Interscan wrote this article since many of our customers--and our own technical personnel--have been frustrated by the confusing and inconsistent documentation on this matter provided by the permeation device manufacturers.
Grant McClure, Interscan's manager of special projects, weighs in:
"The permeation device manufacturers themselves should be providing this information, but have not properly elucidated details on the "K" constant. Given the constantly lowering regulatory levels of so many compounds, you would think that people--especially the calibration standards companies--would be more concerned with these matters."
"In the meantime, Interscan is pleased to take the lead in gas detection best practices."
Look for more helpful articles on calibration matters...coming soon.
Interscan Corporation
4590 Ish Drive
Simi Valley, CA 93063-7682
Phone: 1 800 458-6153 (US and Canada)
(818) 882-2331
FAX: (818) 341-0642
Web: www.gasdetection.com