What’s a phx21 log/calibration File?

When connected to a datalogger, phx21 logs all systems vitals every 2 seconds. We use this to diagnose problems in the analyzer.

When should I send a log file to LDARtools?

Anytime you are having a problem with a phx21. Some examples: H2 supply running out, Battery not lasting all day, condensation, calibration problems, drift problems, ignition problems, unexplained flameouts or anytime you have to open the case for any reason.

I am pretty sure that I know what the problem is, why should I send the Log file?

For one, it’s diagnostic confirmation. Before you start changing expensive parts, the experts at LDARtools can confirm that you are about to actually fix the problem. Secondly, it’s a great time to get a system check on your machine. Thirdly, it is an opportunity for LDARtools to learn about what is happening in the field with phx21. We like to see what is failing- it helps us improve our products.

I used multiple dataloggers, which one should I get the log file from?

As the file is created in real time, LDARtools will need the file from the datalogger that was connected at the time of the issue. For example, if the issue occurred during calibration or drift, we will need the Log file off the calibration datalogger or spanbox3.

What kind of information does the log file contain?

Once the Raw file is converted in our software to a meaningful format you will get a table for the ignition cycle.

There is a lot of data collected by the phx21 log and it can be very valuable.

How do I send LDARtools a log file?

The process is very easy. Attach your datalogger to a PC and report an issue at LDARtools.com under support.

Does phx21 have a removable H2 bottle?
No.  phx21 uses a built-in H2 supply chamber with a quickfill system that eliminates the need for removing the bottle. By eliminating the threaded seams and the daily operation of the bottle, we have made the  the entire H2 supply system more reliable and less likely to leak.  In addition, we have virtually eliminated the additional cost associated with the need to replace the removable bottles.

Can I transport the phx21 with hydrogen loaded in the bottle?
The phx21 cylinder is DOT approved for transport. Contact your safety department and/or your shipping company for what this means for you.

How long (in months) should a battery last?
1-2 years.

How much do replacement batteries cost?
See storeLDAR.com for current pricing of replacement parts. http://www.storeldar.com/phx21batteryassembly.aspx

How long (in months) should a pump last?
Approximately 1 year.

How expensive is it to replace a pump?
See storeLDAR.com for current pricing of replacementparts. http://www.storeldar.com/completephx21pumpassembly.aspx

How does the phx21 battery compare to the TVA-1000b battery?  
The phx21 battery is Nickel Metal Hydride (NHM) technology that results in a predictable 15-hour daily performance when new. The NiCad battery in the TVA is designed for, initially, a 10-hour day. The long term consequence is that the NMH battery will provide a full-day’s monitoring for a significantly longer lifespan. The costs for the battery are comparable and both are replaceable by onsite personnel.

What should I do if I have PID monitoring?
We saw no need to re-engineer the small number of  PIDs that are being used in LDAR programs. Neither did we believe that there was a natural fit to have the two types of analzyers (FID and PID) packaged in a unified package. LDARtools recommends RAE Systems PIDs as they are very affordable and extremely reliable.

Does the pump shut off when the warning tells the technician that he must replace the filter?
60 seconds after receiving the alert “Warning Max Pump Power!” the pump will shut off.

What is the benefit to the fact that the phx21 has no fuses?
If a fault occurs, phx21 will protect it’s mainboard from damage by automatically cutting power and reseting its circuits. This means if a wire shorts, only the wire will need replacement, not the wire and mainboard fuses.  It is also important to note that the wireless interface eliminates the process of attaching faulty AIMS cables,  Enhanced Probes and external Bluetooth cables that were so frequently the cause of blown fuses.

Do I need to manage the so-called “span counts” with the px21?
The utilization of so-called “Span counts” was the result of the analog system that was used in previous analyzers. phx21 features an automatic multi-range direct charge digitization system (AMRDCS) that relies on a far more complex process to  accurately generate  PPM values. As a result phx21 does not generate or display “span counts” in the same format as older analyzers.

Check out our new Palapa!

Method 21 requires that the analyzer used for compliance generated LDAR monitoring be certified as intrinsically safe. Do the VOC analyzers in use in your facility satisfy this requirement?

Are you sure?

There is a reason that OSHA and the entire thrust of the last 50 years of industrial safety recognizes that intrinsic safety is important AND that a CERTIFICATION process is essential to that process. Consider the two, separate components: intrinsic safety and certification.

“Intrinsic safety,” in laymen’s terms, means that the instrument that would normally present a special risk of explosion has been designed, built and maintained in such a way that that hazard has been minimized, by engineering and quality controls to the greatest extent possible. (In other words, the VOC analyzer with a pressurized hydrogen supply, powerful battery and an internal flame, has been designed, built and maintained so as to minimize the risk of catastrophic failure.)

The second component is just as important: certification- which answers the question that is just as important as the first: it is intrinsically safe- according to whom?

In many ways, the second question is just as important as the first. We can easily imagine a thousand scenarios in which the manufacturer or user of a presumably hazardous device would tell an employee or a customer “Of course it’s safe! Trust me- we use this gizmo all the time!”

The possibility for fraud or just plain ignorance, fueled by either naiveté or greed, is so profound that OSHA actually specifies the very small group of organizations that are approved to make this certification. As of today, there are only 15 organizations that have been approved by OSHA to certify instruments as intrinsically safe. Among these are household names like Underwriters Laboratory, Factory Mutual and Met Labs. A list of these can be found here.

In each of these cases, this certification is made, based on extensive engineering, electrical, assembly, quality control, procurement and maintenance protocols. The process can take years and frequently costs upwards of a hundred thousand dollars. It is not rocket science, but it is pretty darn close.

And at the unrecognized heart of that certification is the question and practice of maintenance: What sort of parts have been used? Who has installed them? How were they installed? Were any of the internal safety features compromised by an improper repair?

The growing industry practice of unauthorized (can we call them “bootleg?”) repairs has brought the question clearly to the forefront:

Are you sure that the VOC analyzer that your technician is carrying today is intrinsically safe?

In other news:

We recenltly made a new agreement with Guardian Compliance and are pretty excited about it. You can read the details elsewhere in this blog. To celebrate, we did what we normally do every chance we get…eat. a lot. As you can see, we are really enjoying our new shop (kitchen).

Our partners at Juniper Systems have provided us here at LDARtools valuable feedback to the sometimes dreaded project of applying a screen protector to mobile handhelds.  We have all experienced the damage caused to touchscreens during LDAR monitoring when a screen protector is not properly installed…let’s reduce the repair costs and downtime by doing it the right way, showed to us by the developer themselves.

Have you ever tried to apply a screen protector—whether on your rugged handheld computer, your phone, or another device—and you ended up with a scattering of those little annoying bubbles all over the screen? Uggghh… so annoying, right? And when you’ve got a piece of equipment as nice as a Juniper rugged handheld, it’s almost insulting to think of marring that flawlessly smooth screen with bubble blemishes. So today, I’m including a video on how to apply a screen protector—the right way! The way that will minimize bubbles and leave you feeling proud of the way your rugged handheld looks, and not feeling like you’re five years old again, holding up that raggedy cross-eyed yarn puppet that you made and saying, “Look Ma, look what I made!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJeZDXt15Pc&feature=c4-overview&list=UUbDP3FOwUq5lQZIAWKK_4uA

Intrinsic Safety and your LDAR Technicians

In our last blog, I ended by pointing out that when the Intrinsic Safety of LDAR equipment is compromised, very bad things can happen. The worse of these things is that the Technicians who are asked to use the analyzers are put at risk.

For everyone who has seen an improperly repaired VOC analyzer start to smolder, smoke, burst into flames or explode, two things are crystal clear:

1. THIS is why EPA and OSHA regulations, industry standards, site policies, union contracts and best practice disciplines all REQUIRE that electrically-driven and hydrogen-fueled machines are designed, built, maintained and operated to be intrinsically safe; and
2. The idea of one of these unplanned events (which is the nicest way I can say “exploding VOC analyzer”) occurring while the instrument is in a backpack being worn by a technician who is climbing a ladder is terrifying.

While we are aware of a number of potentially catastrophic (for the analyzer) failures, so far, we know of no injuries or serious damage to property. Our industry is not going to always be so lucky.

Before we go any further, it is imperative to highlight the fact that all of the analyzers in VOC service in North America today are built to the highest standards of safety and assurance. Each and every failure of which we are aware was associated either with an unauthorized repair or the use of an unauthorized part (such as an aftermarket battery). A technician working with an a analyzer that has been certified by an approved, independent third party organization to be intrinsically safe and has been properly maintained and, when necessary, repaired by authorized personnel in a certified setting, is as safe as he, or she, can be.

It is when the maintenance and repairs have been performed by unauthorized personnel, perhaps with unapproved parts, that an extraordinary hazard enters the picture. Each LDAR technician, under the best of circumstances, works in an inherently hazardous situation. Adding the risk of a flame or explosion to her analyzer, and then strapping it to her back, is beyond the pale.

Only a concern about the cost and time required to have the analyzer repaired properly can lead one into that sort of temptation.

In a recent meeting, someone asked me how many of the VOC analyzer in LDAR service today did I think had been compromised by what are coming to be known as “bootleg repairs.” I was both candid and sincere, when I said “I don’t know, but I think we will all find out that there are way too many of them- the first time someone gets hurt- or worse.”

In the end, that is what this is all about.

Meet Sam and Dobbie- the shop goats. Yes, we have goats.