Document 2JnLakRqJKD51Eee1z17oe3wL

P llution Control Microprocessor-based ambient air monitoring system provides rapid detection of VCM I aks FRANK L. CONRAD Technical Supervisor CertainTeed Corporation Pipe & Plastics Group Sulphur. Louisiana MARX ISAACS, Southwestern Editor New Solutions to Plant Problems Problem: At the Sulphur, Louisiana plant of the CertainTeed Corporation, the raw material is vinyl chloride monomer (VCM); the product, poly vinyl chloride (PVC). Emissions into the atmosphere must be eliminated in order to comply with federal air pollu tion control regulations and to avoid loss of product. Until September 1977, when a new system was installed, an infrared ana lyzer was Used for monitoring the air leaving the VCM process. Inaccura cies were encountered due to drift and temperature sensitivity of the analyz er, and there were maintenance prob lems, An analysis required three min utes, so that if a VCM leak occurred, it was at least three minutes old before an operator could take the proper measures to correct the situa tion and stop the air pollution and loss of product. Solution: An ambient air monitor ing system was installed to replace the infrared analyzer. It consists of a sampling system, a process microcom puter (PMC) which controls the con tinuous operation of two chromato graphs, each with a dame ionization detector (FID). The detector signals are sent back to the microcomputer for processing. Communication is done through two typewriters with printout. One is in the ambient air sampling building, the other in the technical supervisor's office. Ambient air samples are taken at 30 points, with 15 pumped to each of the two 112 DECEMBER 1980 CHEMICAL PROCESSING GENC 005690 Safety new literature Safety supply catalog features a wide variety of products to assist in meeting OSHA regulations Included are drench showers, goggles, face shields, protec tive clothing, hearing protection, burn stations, fire extinguishers and more. All products in the 64-pg catalog are described and Illustrated in full detail. Safety supply cat -- Interex Corp. Circe 5l7 npposite last page Garments of Tyvek spunbonded olefin are fully described in 12-pg bulletin Workers are protected in a variety of hazardous or dirty jobs involving such materials as asbestos. PCBs, pesticides and lead dust. Barrier properties, liquid hold-out, chemical protection, tough ness and durability, breathability/com fort and cost/performance are all addressed in the illustrated brochure. Tyvek bro -- Du Pont Co. Circle 518 opposite last page Plant Identification products, including conduct and voltage markers, pipe marking products, aisle marking dots and tapes, visual barricading products, complete systems for numbering and lettering, sign-making components, inte rior and exterior graphics systems, vehi cle placards and safety signs are described in a 118-pg catalog. Catalog S-4-WH Brady Co. Circle 519 opposite last page. Over 100 disposable garments, includ ing head gear, smocks, aprons, pants, shirts, coveralls, jumpsuits, shoe covers and other accessories, are discussed in catalog. Made of Tyvek, these garments are designed to meet most clean room and health hazard requirements and are strong enough to reuse many times. Disposable clothing cat -- Melco, Inc. Circle 520 opposite last page. Digital audible dosimeter with a range of 0-9999 mR is described in a bulletin The instrument had LCD readout and presettable integrated alarms from 109999 mR and rate alarms from 100-9000 mR/hr. All alarms are inside the device so that they are inaccessible to the user after being preset by the radiation safe ty personnel. SuperDAD bul 1888 -- Dosimeter Corporation of America. Circle 521 opposite last page Protective footwear and clothing cata log analyzes each boot and protective suit by the way they perform at specific hazardous job sites. Line has been organized so that customer can select products by materials, construction and price. Protective clothing cat -- Uniroyal, Inc, Circle 522 opposite last page For more information, circle correspondmg numbers on Reader Service Card opposite back cover THEREIS NO EQUAL Down through the years, customers have told us, time and again, there is no equal to our facilities for reactor, tank, column and pressure vessel fabrication. Customers tell us how clean and orderly our factories and offices are. They tell us about all the help they get from friendly, willing people--from highlyqualified engineering specialists, salesmen who follow right through to on-time shipment, production personnel who keep up to date on scheduling, inspection and quality control people who look after every minute detail. Customers always note the pride of our craftsmen. Everything we do is precisely calculated to please our customers, because they are the most important part of our business. For full details, write for Bulletin BF-21. BRIGHTON Brighton Corporation Master metaismiths to the process industries 11861 Mosteller Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45241 Phone (513) 771-2300 C.rtlc 523 .IppOv'P I isl p.lu>' GENC 00569' Air sampling point on an overhead line Chromatographic detector housing in ambient air sampling building analyzers. A 16th stream to each is used for calibration, done once each shift, or three times every 24 hours. Ninety-six analyses are made in 24 hours for each sampling point, each requiring 60 seconds, with continuous typewriter printouts showing VCM in parts per million and location and exact time of each sample. Gas chro matography is the method recognized by OSHA for monitoring levels of vinyl chloride and other hydrocar bons. The tolerance is a maximum of 10 ppm VCM from any control device. An alarm registers immediate ly on the printouts if VCM reaches 5 ppm at any sampling point, indicating a leak; the alarm continues to register until the VCM level is reduced. The PMC controls the timing of sample taking and holds analyses in memory until 12:01 AM each morn ing, then takes about 20 minutes to print out all readings and averages in a 24-hour report. Appropriate pro gramming can provide averages for any desired time periods, e.g., by the hour or shift. Data can be transferred to a minicomputer with greater stor age capacity. Results: The ambient air monitor ing system has functioned smoothly and there have been no maintenance problems to date. The alarm feature is considered one of the greatest advan tages over the former system of analy sis. VCM leaks, which occur infre quently, are rapidly detected and stopped, saving an estimated 100 manhours per month, minimizing product losses due to leaks, and com plying with federal control regulations for VCM content of air emissions. Information on the Areas Model 505 Analyzer and Model 2000 Process Micro Computer is given in Bulletins 300-0179 and PMC-0578 from Foxboro Analytical, a division of The Foxboro Co., Areas Chromatography Center, 10707 Haddington St., Hous ton, TX 77043. Circle 524 opposite last page. Continuous air analysis printout in supervisor's office DECEMBER 1980 CHEMICAL PROCESSING 113 GENC 005692 Poiluti n Contr I pr ducts A rapid and easy to run. Many use premeasured reagents and precali brated meter scales producing quick l results which allow prompt remedial action. (HMDK portable laboratory -- Hach Chemical Co., Box 389, Loveland, CO 80537.) Circle 525 opposite last page Pollution detection lab monitors 300 substances Hazardous materials detection kit is a complete, portable laboratory which provides a rapid means for determining the extent and severity of toxic substance contamination. The kit uses 15 general test methods to monitor over 300 hazardous materi als, Portable carrying case contains a spectrophotometer, pH meter, con ductivity meter and all required reagents and apparatus. Tests are Packaged scrubber system mounted on skid Complete "packaged" scrubber sys tem is pre-assembled and mounted on a skid for in-plant installation. System consists of a scrubber and separator vessel in addition to a liquid storage tank, recycling pump, piping, level controls, pressure blower, pressure cartridge filter, flue dampers and annunciator panel. All electrical and mechanical engineering is completed before shipping. The unit meets all OSHA and EPA compliance standards. Energy re quirements are minimized through the selection of high-efficiency fan and pump systems. System can treat 6000 acfm and lower gas flow rates with a variable throat control. Skid mounted units can also be designed with flow rates up to 70,000 cfm. (Packaged scrubber system -- Air Pollution Control Equipment Div., Croll-Reynolds Co., Inc., 751 Central Ave,, Westfield, NJ 07091.) Circle 526 opposite last page. o Basics as Feeders lower supply instantly and matlcally shuts down the system. ADVANCE Series 200 Gas Feeders are available for direct cylinder, direct ton container and manifold mounting in maximum gas f^W rates up to 500 PPD, Automatic Switch- ir and remote and multiple Bering are also available. Write for Bulletin 4200. 114 DECEMBER 1980 CHEMICAL PROCESSING Circle 527 opposite last page. GENC 005693