The Analyzer Source

Friday, May 18, 2012

Scenario 2: Another routine rescue?

"Standardized training for the operation and interpretation of direct-reading meters is severely lacking. While most users are able to calibrate and operate the meter within the range of alarms, readings are often misinterpreted creating a potential Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) situation.

Scenario 2

For years, workers at a dry ice company have been disposing of dry ice chips in a dumpster. On one occasion, a worker notices a bike near the dumpster, but doesn’t know whose bike it is. The worker looks inside the dumpster and sees a young man lying at the bottom. 911 was called and the fire department was dispatched. This was just a routine rescue, wasn’t it?

What direct-reading instruments should the firefighters use in order to have them safely investigate the situation? PID? Combustible gas meter? Electrochemical sensor? Thermal conductivity sensor? NDIR? Colorimetric tubes?

Do your first responders have the knowledge and skills needed to make decisions in situations like this?

Through case studies and real-life scenarios, AIHA’s Train-the-Trainer 4-Gas Monitor/PID Field Use course enables first responders, fire fighters, environmental field technicians and persons doing confined space entries to improve their interpretation of direct-reading instrument output — giving them the knowledge and skills needed to keep you and your coworkers out of harm’s way.

Train-the-Trainer 4-Gas Monitor/PID Field Use is being held on Saturday AND Sunday at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

…………………………………

Craig Sorrell
Coordinator Collaborative Projects, STI

AIHA^(R)
Protecting Worker Health^(R)

PDC 010Train-the-Trainer: 4-Gas Monitor/PID Field Use

Intermediate | 2.67 CM Points/16 Contact Hours/2.0 CEU/COC Points | Saturday and Sunday | 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Limit: 45

Real-Time Detection Systems
Two Day Course
Cost $750.00

This PDC provides the knowledge and helps develop the skills needed to train field persons in the operation of Portable Gas Detection Instrumentation, focusing on delivering training to meet the body of knowledge requirements of the AIHA Registered Operator credential. At the end of this PDC, participants will be prepared to train users of the portable 4-Gas Meter and/or the combo 4-Gas Meter/Photoionization Detector (PID).
By your participation in this PDC, you will have completed the first stage towards becoming authorized trainers for the 4-Gas Detection Registry Preparation course.
Participants must bring 4-Gas or 4-Gas/PID detection equipment.
Upon completion, the participant will be able to:

Discuss the difference between calibrating to methane vs. pentane

Identify sensor poisons

Recognize cross sensitivities to sensors

Demonstrate the application of this instrument in measuring toxic contaminants

List instrument limitations

Cite basic sensor theory and how they work

Lead discussions in this area with field personnel

Demonstrate proper calibration and use of a variety of portable gas detection equipment

Module 1 – Instrument overview

Module 2 – Review of basic chemical principles

Module 3 – Common terminology

Module 4 – Oxygen sensor technology

Module 5 – Combustible gas sensors

Module 6 – Electrochemical sensors

Module 7 – Photoionization detector

Module 8 – Calibration of the instrumentation

Module 9 – Datalogging

Module 10 – Guidelines for selection

Instructors will evaluate participants understanding of the materials presented based on:

Post course test

Hands-on demonstrations and practicum

Practice exercises

Workshops

Group activities

Interactive games

Real-Time Detection Systems

May 18

— E-handout download instructions are e-mailed.

June 1

— Contact the AIHA if you have not received your e-handout e-mail.

June 1

— AIHce 2012 online communities for collaborative learning open.

June 15-17

— AIHce 2012 PDCs are presented. Participants must bring a printed or electronic copy of their PDC handout.

August 31

— AIHce 2012 online communities for collaborative learning close.

August 27

– Educational transcripts updated and available for download

Dawn Bolstad-Johnson, MPH, CIH, CSP

Phoenix Fire Department

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

An Introduction to Emerging Technologies for Environmental Data Monitoring: Loggers to Sensors Networks to the Cloud

We have been invited by Michael Pollard

to attend this professional development

course and bring along some of our

real-time detection systems

(for long-term air monitoring)

to demonstrate for the attendees.

We are delighted to have this opportunity

and look forward to participating and

learning from our friends and colleagues.

All Day Wednesday, June 6, 2012 (8am - 5pm)

"An Introduction to Emerging Technologies for

Environmental Data Monitoring: Loggers to Sensors

Networks to the Cloud"

Instructors

Francesco Peri, Michael Pollard, and Robert Stevenson ( Instructor Bio's)

Course Overview

Automation of environmental monitoring tasks can reduce the need for people to be on site

and increase the quality of data in support of site assessment, research objectives or policy

decisions. Recent advances in ground based and remote sensors; data gathering, sharing,

and integration; and modeling schemes that have been deployed in weather forecasting are

now being applied to a wider range of environmental monitoring tasks in air, water, soil

from local to regional scales. Reductions in costs of sensors and instrument packages and
the ubiquity of internet services are facilitating these advancements. However, the breadth
of technology available often seems daunting. This short-course is designed to introduce
emerging environmental monitoring technologies to academic researchers,
consultants/industry, and governmental employees.
We will provide specific examples of environmental monitoring systems to illustrate
general design challenges. An analyses framework will be presented to help students judge
which, if any, of these technologies are appropriate for the specific monitoring programs
they want to implement. Students and presenters will undertake design charrettes to
further illustrate system design options. Students will work with homegrown and
commercial systems on site to gain concrete experience.Course Objectives

1) Provide an overview of new technologies, both hardware and software, used

for the collection and storage of environmental data

2) Introduce the technical language, sensors, power requirements,

transmission options,packaging issues, and cost considerations that underlie

the designs of these systems

3) Gain experience applying an analysis framework to decide if these new

monitoring technologies might be of benefit to your monitoring studies

4) Compare current offerings from some of the leading vendors and describe

trends in component and systems development
5) Give students hands on experience with home grown and commercial

monitoring systems.

Target Audience
Biologists, ecologists, chemists, environmental scientists, site managers,

regulators, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students

Course Schedule and Agenda

Website

8:00 am -9:45 am
1. Defining the monitoring challenge - Analysis Framework
  - What are the necessary sensor signals to address the monitoring goals?
  - How fast does the signal change/what resolution is required? Considerations for sampling frequency
  - Types of field deployments (emphasis on aquatic but will mention air sampling as well)
    - Hand-held instruments
    - Land or platform-based fixed installations
    - Subsurface installation
  - Review of current literature
  - Project considerations: time, logistics, data quality needs, $$$
2. Sensors
  - What is out there that satisfies my signal requirements?
  - Sensor types and sensor characterization
  - Types of data generated by an environmental sensor (i.e., form of the observation – electrical signal (analog or digital)
  - Special conditions
3. Selecting the Appropriate Technology for my problem
  - Aligning technology with the environmental question
    1. Monitor endpoints
    2. Accuracy
    3. Number of functions
  - Physical capabilities of technology -What is Power?
    1. Instrument - warm up, sample interval
    2. Logging
    3. Telemetry
    4. Duty cycle
    5. Source - solar, wind, water, line
    6. Storage – batteries, power density, how long will it run without charging?
    7. Managing cycles - optimizing low power sampling and high power transmission
4. Field Deployment Considerations: Location and Packaging
  - Environment - harsh environments, hazardous conditions, and vandals
  - Enclosures and ratings
  - Fittings
  - Wires
  - Functional Mounting, durability, safety
  - Lightning
9:45 am -10:00 am Morning Break
10:00 am - 12:00 noon
1. Logging and Telemetry
  How to get data from the instrument to the lab/office:
  - Paper output- still used ( UMB freezer failure story)
  - Hardwire data transmission in field situations - RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485
  - Hardwire downloads of data from instruments to computer
  - 6 to 8 Telemetering systems: data rates, power, costs
2. Data Handling
  - Onboard data processing – averaging (intervals keyed to variability in the parameter of interest
  - Output forms of and management of data from sensors: analog or digital meters, storage options for data (types – advantages and shortcomings)
  - Preprocessing of data - Error checking algorithms – what they can do, utility, real-time feedback possibilities
  - Post Processing - Endpoint calibration
3. Models - Getting more out of the data
  - Power Monitoring
  - Sensor Functioning
  - Range check variables for alerts
  - Integration with other data
  - Forecasting
4. Data Management Plans - An Introduction
  - The issues
  - Resources
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch Break
1:00 pm - 2:45 pm
1. Systems Discussions – Case Studies and Field Demos of Monitoring Systems
  Case studies
  - Air: H2S air monitoring around landfills, ambient air monitoring and data telemetering at Logan Airport, Boston;
  - Water: fish tracking, coastal environmental sensor networks; wave or current meter installations, subsurface deployments
2:45 pm Afternoon Break
3:00 pm
1. On Site Field Demonstrations
  - Home grown systems – Tide gauge, RFID - animal activity, Swan package - Water physicals and chemistry
  - Commercial vendors
2. Wrap Up
  - Question and answer
  - Course evaluations
5:00 pm Adjourn

SHORT COURSE REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Pre-Registration (by 5/01/12)	Full Registration (after 5/01/12)	Type
DATA ACQUISITION SHORT COURSE (Wednesday, June 6, 2012)
$50.00	$90.00	Student (day attendee)
$200.00	$250.00	NACSETAC members / Government employees
$250.00	$300.00	Non-members
4/01/2012 deadline - full meeting student package ($175.00)

Portable GC offers high performance onsite analysis in real-time

Real-time detection system for coal gas monitoring. This video was taken at the 2010 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition in Denver, CO. The presenter, Dr. Jack Driscoll describes our Model 312 portable gas chromatograph and how it is used for real-time detection in coal mines in China. What is so unique about this application? Our detector technology.

Last year Jack presented our Model 322 compact fast lab GC at the Real-Time Detection Systems podium session in Portland, OR. Read more here.

This June we're heading to Indianapolis to assist with the Professional Development Courses (4-Gas/PID for Field Use and Methods and Applications for Exposure Assessment Chemical Detection in Real-Time ) and to present at the Real-Time Detection Systems Podium Session and the *Enlighten me but make it quick* Ignite Session.

Our friend and colleague Phil Smith and Jack Driscoll working on the fast GC Winter 2012