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Refrigerant leaks: the latest in detection

Store Equipment & Design, April, 2000 by Marc Sandofsky

Previously stand-alone tools, leak detectors are now being tied into facility control systems.

As information becomes increasingly critical to the proper operation of businesses, previously stand-alone technologies are now being drawn into the data web. One such technology is the refrigerant leak detector.

For years the struggle was to increase leak detectors' accuracy and lower their costs to make them more viable for the general marketplace. The advent of infrared leak detection systems has helped in that regard. In addition, much of the focus has shifted to integrating leak detection systems into rack and facility control systems to improve their operation and gain greater utility.

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"Infrared has definitely become the way to go, because different types of gases can adversely affect other types of detectors and lead to false readings," says Randy Larson, western regional manager for gas detection at Foxboro Co., Foxboro, Mass. "Infrared is also faster and has much lower maintenance requirements."

Typically, an infrared (IR) leak detection system uses a small pump to draw air samples into an analyzer. Then, using a self-contained refrigerant reference library, the analyzer searches the samples for the presence of a specific refrigerant.

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The economics of today's leak detectors have been greatly improved by their ability to cover multiple zones. This is accomplished by drawing samples from each zone in a specified order and using valves within the detector housing to control the sampling. By keeping track of the area being sampled and the refrigerant being used in that area, leaks are easily traced back to their sources.

In the future, according to Steve Santy, manager of international sales at Kennesaw, Ga.-based CPC, leak detectors will be improved still further with point sensors that will not be influenced by other gases. "The problem today is that sensors are non-specific and prone to false alarms, or they're too expensive," he says.

Despite the growth in IR leak detector use, Santy says, the U.S. is still far behind Europe. "In Europe, they're very serious about leak detection because there are laws requiring them in supermarkets," he says. "In the U.S., there are maximum leak rate regulations and laws requiring that leaks be repaired, but there are no specific laws requiring leak detectors in supermarkets." Still, the U.S. market is growing, and much of that growth must be attributed to improvements in today's leak detection systems. "Lower prices have brought the infrared technology within reach," Santy says. "Capabilities generally available only with more expensive systems are now being offered at affordable prices. Infrared leak detectors are also very easy to install and to use."

The next step, according to Santy, is to integrate leak detection systems into rack and building controllers. "We're working to accomplish that by Ethernet," he says. "So many supermarkets have LAN and WANs already that it only makes sense to make use of them."

Honeywell Elm, Bel Air, Md., also is working to integrate third-party IR leak detection systems into overall control networks, according to national accounts manager Brian Hetrich. "We've arranged with Yokagawa to distribute their leak detectors into the supermarket environment," Hetrich explains. "We prefer infrared because they're more accurate than metal oxide. Those are less expensive but they tend to pick up the wrong gases. Infrared gas spectrometers can tell the difference between the gases and eliminate false alarms."

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Honeywell Elm links IR leak detectors into building systems so any alarms coming through are captured and acted upon. "That way we can alert the right party that there might be a problem and help to prevent refrigerant and product losses," Hetrich says. "There's another advantage to incorporating leak detection systems into larger control networks: There's just one software package to worry about rather than a separate one for each piece of equipment."

By linking the leak detector into the central control system, Honeywell Elm is also able to "add intelligence," Hetrich says. "Too much exhaust air in a mechanical room can affect a leak detector's performance, so we program the mechanical room exhaust fan to shut down for some period when the leak detector is taking a sample."

According to Hetrich, leak detection is as much for human safety as environmental issues. "Walk-in coolers are an excellent application for leak detectors," he says. "They're usually very tightly gasketed, so a leak can fill up the space with refrigerant. Then if a stock person walks in, it can be very dangerous."

Yokagawa's hand-held leak detector

Yokagawa Corp, Newnan, Ga., recently released its H10Xpro Top Gun hand-held leak detector, which promises to make the job of pinpointing refrigerant leaks significantly easier. When passed within 1/4 inch of a leak, the H10Xpro will detect leaks as small as 1/4 pound per year.

Refrigerant leaks: the latest in detection

Store Equipment & Design, April, 2000 by Marc Sandofsky

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