Detection & Measurement System News

Heat exchangers are used throughout many industrial plants to cool and convert steam into condensate. Condensate contamination is very costly and affects efficient operation of the plant, or even worse, the contamination can cause environmental pollution. Monitoring the conductivity of the condensate leaving the heat exchanger is a reliable method ...

Do you know the three key ways to prevent wastewater breakthroughs that cause contamination and pollution causing fines? pH - Monitoring pH is critical. Very low pH liquids can damage parts of the treatment system and potentially kill the good bacteria in the clarifier. Knowing in advance that low pH liquid is entering the process allows the operat...

There's a very tricky pH water treatment measurement that many people seem to struggle with. It's the kind of headache we commonly see in the field, but may not have been exposed to before now. In Tips from the Field, DMS shares unusual problems and how they were resolved.  We enjoy tackling unique issues in the field and always welcome the ch...

The 3 key things to monitor on boilers are: pH balance in the tubesoxygenconductivity The pH of the boiler water is normally kept alkaline to facilitate the formation of a thin oxide layer on the tubes. This oxide layer acts as a protective barrier against corrosion. M4 Knick's SE 558 pH electrode is designed to work in low ionic activity liquid fo...

Fired heaters are integral to hydrocarbon processing (HP). Specifically designed for the reaction of fuel and air to produce extremely high gas temperatures, heaters transfer this energy to potentially highly flammable process fluids via heat exchangers. They consume large quantities of fuel, produce large quantities of emissions and are a potentia...

This equipment and these 3 techniques help keep your cooling tower operating at peak efficiency, avoid downtime, and ensure high-quality water for plant personnel: pH. To keep the pH correct in your cooling towers and dissolve the calcium carbonate that causes scaling, you probably use an acid addition like sulfuric. Dissolving scaling helps s...

Remote mounting is the solution in situations where the flange mount for your oxygen and combustibles analyzer is too hot for equipment, or the location is difficult to access or dangerous for personnel. In remote mounting, the sensor head is situated on a panel or cabinet away from the process, and is connected to the sample point via an insulated...

The area coverage of a point combustible or toxic gas detector is, quite simply, limited to the opening of the gas sensor housing. Point gas detectors do not provide an "area coverage" because they can only respond to gas that travels to the gas sensor and enters the sensor housing. Consequently, the quantity of point gas detectors and wh...

 There's an old story about a group of blind men attempting to describe an elephant by touching different parts of its body. "It's like a snake," said the one who touched its trunk. "No, it's like a fan," said the one who touched its ear. The parable shows how we all tend to base "truth" on our sometimes limited or subjective experience, often...

Sensors only have one job. But it's not always the sensor's fault for failing when it's being poisoned on duty. In this Tip from the Field, DMS Regional Sales Manager, Justin Denson, describes how he solved a sensor situation that pitted engineering against environment… I had a customer who was using our XNX universal transmitter with our MPD catal...

This Tip from the Field is about gas detection sensors in poorly ventilated rooms monitoring flammable solvents. Justin Denson, Regional Sales Manager for Texas City, Freeport and Sweeney, worked with a plant that had a small room where they stored containers of solvents. One sensor was constantly alarming, other LEL sensors were in readings, and t...

DMS is in the safety business. We work in industries that are known to be dangerous, and without attention to safety precautions, lives are at stake. The worst kind of hazard is one where there's no awareness of the potential hazard. This Tip from the Field is that story. Fortunately, it had a good outcome. Co-owner and Vice President of DMS, Ray P...