
Sensidyne Gas Monitoring System Commissioning
We approach our work from a Whole Facility Design Perspective, resulting in elegant, efficient engineering solutions that are practical and reliable, maximizing your long term benefit from your facility.
Challenge
FM Global has installed a Sensidyne Gas Monitoring system at a temporary facility while the new building in Norwood was being developed. Hallam-ICS performed commissioning which allowed FM Global to continue to be productive in the lab environment.
As part of the system, new blue strobes, amber strobes, emergency gas off buttons, gas in use switches, Oxygen (O2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Low Explosive Limit (LEL) transmitters and sensors were installed. The low and high alarms of the sensors were verified in addition to alarm generation of the sensors by applying test gases.
Solution
Hallam-ICS commissioned the system, verified and documented that the new equipment and the new controls that were installed were adequate to meet the performance criteria required by FM Global and to ensure safety standards and safe operation of the new laboratories where these gases are being used.
The commissioning team provided the customer with a comprehensive commissioning functional test report, sensor gas challenge report and a final commissioning report documenting the commissioning process and capturing all found issues. Together these documents provided evidence that the equipment is fit for its intended use by FM Global.
Hallam-ICS has a good working relationship with FM-Global and our local presence was advantageous to our client. We have worked on designing FM Global’s Rhode Island and Techway facilities. This enabled the client to save time on commissioning because we designed the systems and were familiar with them.
FM Global’s main objective was the safety of the building and the occupants and reliable performance of the sensors and equipment in the new laboratories. To achieve this, Hallam-ICS:
- Designed the system
- Applied gases to 100% of the sensors and challenged them
- Verified proper alarming and notifications to building occupants at abnormal conditions.
- Prepared and submitted a comprehensive final commissioning report
One of the challenges on this project was the coordination of the alarm signal with the local fire department. The O2 and the LEL sensors, if they went to fault state would send out a high alarm signal, thereby sending a trouble signal to the fire alarm panel. This would cause the fire department to send fire trucks to the site even though there was no fire emergency. We came up with a solution to eliminate the nuisance alarms and ensure safe operation of all gas detection sensors.
Results
Our team accomplished the following:
- Achieved consistent, accurate gas sensor functionality through testing with applied gases.
- Eliminated false alarms by configuring alarm signals to communicate real alerts only.
- Delivered a thorough final commissioning report documenting system reliability and compliance.