Due to winter weather in the Houston area on Tuesday 1/16 and Wednesday 1/17, please call 877-788-1110 x 6 before coming to the office to pick up or drop off.

As environmental regulations become increasingly stringent, it’s crucial for industries to stay ahead of the curve by adopting innovative strategies to improve their Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs. An effective LDAR program minimizes harmful emissions and demonstrates a company’s commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability.

Invest In Triangulation Platforms

A clear sign of an outdated or less-effective LDAR program is the lack of triangulation platforms. These technologies provide real-time diagnostics and data relating to your equipment, from potential leaks to active fugitive emissions. Triangulation platforms gather this information by utilizing various measurement devices, such as auto-gas chromatography, proton transfer, and CEMS technologies.

Furthermore, most real-time monitoring systems boast end-to-end encryptions and secure cloud servers for streamlined updates and enhanced organizational communications. Consider investing in triangulation technology for your refinery to ensure up-to-the-minute monitoring.

Upgrade Your Mobile Monitoring Platforms to PTR-TOF-MS

Upgrading your mobile monitoring platforms to Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS) is an innovative way to improve your LDAR program. This advanced analytical technique allows for rapid and highly sensitive detection of fugitive emissions. Specifically, these platforms identify harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the air. By employing PTR-TOF-MS technology, you can achieve real-time identification and quantification of fugitive emissions, leading to faster response times and reduced environmental impact.

The benefits of using PTR-TOF-MS technology extend beyond improved detection capabilities. This cutting-edge method also enables more precise measurements, reducing the likelihood of false positives or negatives that can occur with older technologies. Furthermore, PTR-TOF-MS systems are highly portable, making them well-suited for use in various industrial settings. Incorporating PTR-TOF-MS into your LDAR program will result in more accurate data collection, streamlined processes, and, ultimately, a more effective emissions reduction strategy.

Enhance LDAR Efficacy with Drones

Another innovative approach to improving your LDAR program is through the integration of drone technology. Drones equipped with specialized sensors can quickly and efficiently survey large areas for potential leaks and emissions sources. This aerial perspective allows for more comprehensive coverage than traditional ground-based methods, significantly increasing the chances of detecting fugitive emissions.

Of course, this technology isn’t available for every refinery, especially if your business is located in a restricted flight zone. However, advancements in LDAR drone technology will continue to normalize this practice throughout the industry, ultimately leading to more effective LDAR programs overall.

Consider these innovative ideas to improve the efficiency and accuracy of your LDAR program instantly. Additionally, stock up on helpful LDAR equipment here at LDAR tools—we’re eager to help you find the ultimate tools and resources for your facility monitoring needs!

A new version of Cal5 has been released. Below is a list of the changes.

• Updated the head unit and base not connected warning text.
• Improvements to head unit and base communications.
• Changed Power Down to Sleep Mode after drifts.
• Can now submit SpanBox hardware issues directly from Cal5.0.
• Security improvements.

If your SpanBox is currently running version 5.0.404.1 or higher, please follow
the instructions below to update the SpanBox online.

1. Tap Update Cal5.
2. Tap Update Online.
3. The SpanBox will restart upon completion. You can verify the update by confirming the correct version number in the bottom-right portion of the Home screen.

If your SpanBox is currently running an earlier version than 5.0.404.1, please follow the instructions below to update the SpanBox via USB.

1. Download the install files from the following link: https://ldartools.sharefile.com/d-sf043998d70e645d582275b5472a8c6ea
2. Extract the files from the downloaded Files.zip folder.
3. Copy and paste the files to the SpanBox’s USB drive.
4. Insert the USB drive into the SpanBox.
5. Tap Menu.
6. Tap Update Cal5.
7. Tap Update from USB.
8. The SpanBox will restart upon completion. You can verify the update by confirming the correct version number in the bottom-right portion of the Home screen.

If you experience any issues during the update process, please contact support@ldartools.com for assistance in updating.

GENERAL

• User is returned to the login screen after logging out using SSO. Previously the user was returned to the database selection screen after clicking log out if they had signed in utilizing SSO.
• Sped up loading the list of databases when wanting to switch to a different database.
• Text is not cut off when entering a value for a Query. Resolved issue of occasionally when filling out a query for a grid, such as Tag = value, if the user hit Enter after entering the tag number quickly, part of the tag number would be cut off.
• Refreshing a grid does not remove the applied filters anymore.
• Updated ‘Support Ticket’ to ‘Support’ on the button to submit a support issue.

HOME

• In the Overview section, the AVOs and M21s were separated into different lines for the Due within 4 days, this Week, Month, Year.

EMISSIONS

• Interface for adding and editing emission models has been added in Settings/ Emission Model. Users will now be able to add and edit their emission models and no longer require Support’s help with this. Changing the average emission factors or correlation equations for a component type will still require Support to make this change, letting users make these changes in Chateau is coming in the near future.

HELP

• Submitting a support issue no longer crashes when the issue description contains special characters. If the issue description/steps to reproduce contained ‘&’ Chateau would freeze and the issue would not be submitted.

REPORTS

• A short description of the report is now displayed below each report. This will also be updated to have a link to the Knowledge Base article for that particular report as we add more content to the Knowledge Base.
• Optimized Activated Components Report. Previously the report would timeout when trying to load if there had been over several thousand components activated during the selected period such as during a retagging project.
• Refresh Cache button is visible now when using a dark theme. Before the button was white text with a white background which made it impossible to read if one of the dark themes were being used.
• Resolved issue with Analyzer drift report not showing drifts when multiple SpanBoxes are present at the site.
• TUx Summary Report was optimized to handle larger number of records faster.
• Periodic Inspection summary, M21 Inspection History, and Deactivated Components reports were optimized.

INSPECTIONS & ATTEMPTS

• Editing the Performed On field for an attempt would present an error to the user. Resolved issue of Attempt Details screen error of ‘date performed cannot be in future’ when user tried to edit the date performed field of an attempt.
• Attempted By is no longer blanked out when editing an attempt. Resolved issue of occasionally the Attempted By field would be blanked out if user was editing an attempt, causing them to have to reenter value.
• Facility, Plant, and LUnit are editable on inspections and attempts. User can now change the values from these fields when editing.
• Probe Type field added to Inspection grid and side panel details. To support the new feature in Chateau mobile of allowing technicians to choose if they are using an extension probe with their analyzer for the day, inspections will be marked as either extension probe or standard.
• Changed AttemptMethod label to AttemptHow on the Attempt details screen.

LEAKS

• Open leaks no longer appear in the Closed Leaks grid in the Tag View. Previously open leaks would appear in the Open Leaks grid and the Closed Leaks grid in the Tag View.
• All emissions points are now displayed on the leak grids and leak details view when a leak has multiple emission points records. Previously only the first emission point on a leak would appear in the grid and leak details, now if different emission points are recorded on retest inspections then they will appear.
• Editing a DOR no longer updates the processer and date processed field even though user did not edit those fields. When editing a DOR, previously when the user edited any field, Chateau would also update the processor and date processed fields to be the username of who edited the DOR and the date they edited.
• Leak Reporting subtab has been changed to Leak Alerts. The title of the subtab was changed to Leak Alerts to make it clearer that these were alerts that can be emailed rather than where the user should go to generate leak reports.
• Reverted Leak reports change that caused reports to include leaks opened before the selected date range. Several months ago, we rolled out an update to the leak reports so they would include leaks that were opened prior to the selected date range but were still open at any point during the selected date range. We received feedback that this was not desired, so the leak reports have been changed back to only include leaks that were OPENED during the select date range.

SETTINGS

• Deleting an inspection sample time for a component type that has been hidden no longer crashes. Resolved issue of when user had hidden a component type from their picklist and had an inspection sample time set up for that particular type, that when they went to remove it from the Inspection Sample time view, Chateau would crash.

SAFETY

• Confined space no longer crashes when adding tags.

SCOUT

• Corrected the problem of white text on white background for the Inspections Details when in dark theme so the details are always visible.

RULES

• M21 and AVO Exemption properties no longer errors if user edits a property from a picklist property to a Yes/No property. If user had an exemption for Insulation = Fully and then edited this row to be UTM= Yes, then Chateau would error and not save the new value.
• User can now enter multiple lines for insulation in the M21 and AVO Exemption modules.
• Outdated help instructions were removed from the Rules module. Updated instructions will be added to the Chateau knowledge base at help.ldartools.com in the near future.
• Leak Definitions, PPM Responses, M21 Initial, and AVO Initial rule modules can now utilize NDE, CVS, and UTM when building out rules. Specific leak definitions and initial inspection requirements can now be specified for CVS, NDE, and UTM components using the component properties rather than relying on the component subtype values.
• Comments can now be added to each row in the Rules Module. Users can now enter the specific reference to the CFR that the row is addressing or personal comments on why this row was added.
• Adding a new regulation from the add new rule screen just has the value field. We overlooked this popup when we removed the code and the description fields for picklist values and just went with one value.

COMPONENTS

• Previously assigned rules show for deactivated components on the Tag View’s Rule tab. After a component was deactivated previously all rules would disappear from the rules tab for that component.
• MMQ phase and MMQ Group values for components that do not currently have an MMQ frequency will not appear in the component grid. If a component has an MMQ frequency and is then edited to DTM = Yes, when the m21 frequency updates to Annual the MMQ phase and MMQ Group values for that component will be removed from the grid.
• Updated the instructional text when adding equipment to a component to be clearer. The text below the add equipment button was updated to “Adding a new model will schedule Initial Monitoring and/or reset the MMQ cycle, if applicable. Adding a new LowE Packing will NOT trigger Initial Monitoring and/or reset the MMQ cycle.”
• LowE Details property was added as an option in the Component grid query builder. Users can now utilize this field when researching their LowE component.
• Can now save edits on a duplicate tag. Previously Chateau required that you fix the duplicate tag number before you were allowed to save changes on any other property.
• Duplicate tag numbers added by an Approver in Chateau Mobile will get ‘-duplicate’ appended to the end of the tag number. We do our best but we can’t always prevent someone from accidentally entering a duplicate tag number so now if an Approver enters a duplicate tag number in Chateau Mobile because NonTour tags was turned off or some else added it the same day in a different handheld then when this tag number is processed into into Chateau, ‘-duplicate’ will be appended to it so it is obvious it’s a duplicate. These will also appear on the Duplicate Tag porch as well.
  

  PORCHES

  • Clarified language when referring to the Audits in Chateau. To this end we updated Alert Settings was changed to ‘Audit Settings’ and changed ‘Porches with No Alerts’ to ‘Audits with No Alerts.”
  • Updated the Excess Inspections porch to calculate the time between inspections as the end time of the last inspection and the start time of the current. PPM column was also added, and the Seconds column was moved to right before Location Description.
  • The Weekly m21 Frequency Audit was removed. The default Weekly M21 frequency was removed from rules which makes this Audit no longer necessary.
  • Component with no M21 Leak Definition for a Regulation Audit was added. This audit reports if a component does not have a leak definition specified under any regulation that is applied to them. This Audit is a State type audit.
  • We added an AVO Inspection Why of ‘Quality Control’ and ‘Investigation’ for when building tours from the MOC Porch, New Components, and the Audits. We wanted to stop using the Fixtag inspection why for these porches as this always required the user to explain what a Fixtag was when asked about the inspection.

Below are the two versions of the phx42 H2 Fill Port (LDAR# 42801). It is important to recognize the distinctions between each type and which one applies to your unit.

If your phx42 contains the v2 H2 Fill Port, but is missing the filter (as shown above in figure 3), please report an issue immediately.