(L) Farai Pasipamire, Richards Bay branch secretary, with Duncan Robertson after the presentation.
April Technology Evening
The April Technology Evening on the principles of gas detection was held at Umhambi lodge. Duncan Robertson, sales manager for GFG South Africa, gave a well received presentation about the most common gases that we interact with. These gases include oxygen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, acetylene, LPG and most of the hydrocarbons. Some terms were introduced, the explosive/flammable range, the lower explosion level (LEL)/lower flammable limit (LFL) and upper explosion level (UEL).
The flammable range is the range of a concentration of a gas or vapour that will burn (or explode) if an ignition source is introduced. The LEL is the minimal amount of concentration needed of a particular chemical to cause an explosion. The LEL is determined empirically for each pure chemical and air mixture at a given temperature. Below the explosive or flammable range the mixture is too lean to burn and above the upper explosive or flammable limit the mixture is too rich to burn. Examples were given for gases like acetylene with an LEL of 2,5%.
Duncan also emphasized the need to measure for the presence of oxygen when working in confined spaces. He went on to talk about the technologies behind chemical sensors, catalytic sensors, electrochemical as well as infrared. He touched on the sensor overview, sensor construction, advantages, maintenance as well as limitations. Lastly he spoke about the measurement and detection ranges for different gases as well as portable and fixed gas detector selection.
Career day
The department of education organised a career week for students that ran from 22-26 April at the Hlanganani hall in Esikahwini where the Richards Bay branch took the opportunity to exhibit. It was interesting to note that all the exhibitors were educational institutions except for Bell Equipment and most learners were not aware that there is a career in instrumentation and control. They were asking at our stand about requirements for other trades such as fitting and boiler making, which are well known trades that they relate to.
We took time to explain what instrumentation and control was all about and the career options that are available in the field. We had a few instruments on display and an Adroit Scada tank filling application running on a laptop to give the learners an idea of what to expect. The exhibition was fruitful and we had several requests from teachers who would like to invite us as mentors to their schools.
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