We are pleased to announce Terrence Kamauf (TK) of PSC (formerly Guardian Compliance) as LDARtools Technician of the Month for May.

TK, who is Ex Special Forces, is currently the Supervisor at Kinder Morgan, Pasadena. He wrote a “PHX Creed” based on the Rifleman’s Creed from the Marine Corps doctrine.

Here’s an excerpt from the PHX Creed, “Without me, my PHOENIX is useless. Without my PHOENIX, I am useless. I must keep my PHOENIX readings true. I must measure more accurate than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must find the leak before it finds me. I will…”

Thanks TK, we appreciate your commitment to your equipment! And thank you for your service!

Here’s a link to the full creed.

Note: In celebration of Memorial Day, LDARtools will be closed on Monday, May 26, 2017. We’ll be back the next day Tuesday, May 27.

We are developing a phx21 Best Practices Score Sheet and in the process, we received a great idea from Brian W. of TEAM Furmanite.

phx21 chargers can stop charging early if they are plugged in while the machine is still on, then laterturned off. Brian uses an electronic timerthat power cycles the charger after everyone has gone home for the day. This guarantees that the charger sees the actual battery voltage when it boots up and is not confused by the load of the machine.

We have added Timer for Charger (phx21) – LDAR# 1787 to storeLDAR.com for your convenience.
Any power outlet timer, which is easily found locally or online, can be used.

While an automated charger power cycle setup such as this is not required to have a properly working phx21, it is easy to forget to cycle the chargers after a long day. Besides, we love automation!

Remember, the phx21 must be turned off at the end of the day to charge the battery.

To be fair, we have seen a few sites do this, but Brian was the first. Thanks to all of you. Please don’t hesitate to share all your great ideas with us by emailing support@ldartools.com. These ideas are the fuel to innovation.

Be on the look out for the phx21 Best Practices Score Sheet! It will include things like fill unit with Hydrogen at the end of the day, leave probe attached while filling, and more, that will keep your program running smoothly and efficiently.

Since we made the announcement on phx42, the sales of our remaining units has accelerated–even though we have resisted selling any units to replace existing equipment.

We currently have a small handful of phx21s available for purchase. We have asked our friends and customers to hold off making any purchases if they can. When the remaining phx21s are sold, we will be expecting a lengthy, inconvenient and frustrating delay. At that time, we will begin taking pre-orders for phx42.

We have committed to publishing a detailed timeline on the certification and manufacturing process after May 1.

LDARtools joins Anchor Point in its Hope Golfs fundraiser last Thursday, March 30, 2017.

Different teams took to the driving range at Top Golf in Webster, TX to raise awareness and promote Anchor Point’s activities. The organization is a ministry that brings hope to families, pregnant teens, and troubled youth through education and empowerment.

Our own team of Scott, Charles, Kilian and Warren nabbed the trophy for the lowest score amongst all the participants. Regardless of who brings home the winning trophy, the children win a better future.

In January 2013, we began a research and development project to create the successor for our tremendously successful phx21. This process was fueled by two factors:

• Innovation – 8 years of working with phx21 and hundreds of customers has taught us that there were things we could do even better.
• Expanded Safety Certifications –  responding to world-wide demand requires that we expand our safety certifications. We are in the process of certifying the phx42 to 27 different standards.

In September 2015, we initiated the Intrinsic Safety Certification process with Intertek, a globally-recognized testing laboratory.

Our plan was to have the instrument ready to deliver about the same time that we sold our 1,000^th phx21 (#2000). A recent major order caused an acceleration in our sales. We are grateful for the sale. But it has led to a likely interruption in our supply chain as we complete the certification process for phx42.

Following the sale of the 1000^th phx21, LDARtools will not be able to deliver analyzers until the safety certification process for phx42 is completed.

As far as serving our current fleet of phx21s is concerned, absolutely nothing is changing. We will continue to provide parts and repairs well into the future based on having a 5-year plus supply of many parts in inventory.

We are asking our friends to forego any immediate purchases of analyzers UNLESS they have a new customer or a new program. If you can get through this short interruption, phx42 will be worth the wait.

We have made significant progress on the most challenging components:

• FID Housing- completed drop testing, explosion testing, flame propagation testing, hydrostatic pressure testing and a DRAFT certificate has been issued for International Electrotechnical Commision Certification Scheme for Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx) and EU directive 2013/34.
• Battery Circuit Board – evaluated per IECEx and UL standards for Intrinsic Safety.
• Main Circuit Board – evaluated per IECEx and UL standards for Intrinsic Safety; components – submitted for Spark and Thermal Ignition Assessments.
• Testing on battery cells is currently underway per IEC/EN/UL/CSA 60079-11.
• Overall design has been evaluated per IEC/EN/UL/CSA standards.

Interested in a phx42? We will be taking pre-orders, so that the earliest instruments will go to the customers who want them the most.

We will make further announcements about the certification process on May 1.

If you have any questions, let us know at sales@ldartools.com.