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ConsoliDator+ Multivariable Controller Used for Alarming in Gas Detection

ConsoliDator+ Multivariable Controller Used for Alarming in Gas Detection
A power plant facility that uses ammonia to reduce NOx emissions has recently replaced its old, degraded controller with a PD9000 ConsoliDator+ Multivariable Controller.

The facility receives ammonia in bulk from tanker trucks and is dispensed into a storage tank. The PD9000 controller was installed and configured to display and monitor the readings from two sensors that detect ammonia gas leaks at the fill points on top of the storage tank.

Ammonia can be very toxic at high concentrations. Given ammonia is not flammable, a water deluge system is needed to dilute the concentration of ammonia in the area. The water deluge system changes the chemical properties by bonding it with water, and therefore, keeps the ammonia gas exposure at safe levels.

Two sensors on top of tank at filling points
The pictures above show the two sensors located on top of the ammonia storage tank. One is located at the north end and the other is located at the south end of the tank as indicated on the display of the ConsoliDator+.
ConsoliDator+ mounted in power plant facility near an ammonia storage tank.
The ConsoliDator+ PD9000 was installed near the ammonia tank on the outside panel of the sprinkler system.
ConsoliDator+ easily mounted to the wall panel.
The ConsoliDator+ is fully protected from the elements by a PDA3939 NEMA 4X plastic enclosure that includes a clear front door for easy access.
Old degraded transmitter
The ConsoliDator+ replaced this old degraded controller. The small display is hardly readable and it is exposed to the outside elements.

With the use of its relay and alarm capabilities, the PD9000 was configured to activate a warning alarm at 20 ppm and a high alarm at 45 ppm which engages the deluge system.

A 3-color light/horn (PDA-LH3LC-RYG) was installed on top of the PD9000 for ample sound and visibility of the alarms. The light/horn is configured to flash the amber light at the 20 ppm to indicate a warning and flash the red light at 45 ppm to indicate a high concentration of the ammonia gas.

PDA-LH3LC-RYG Light & Horn installed on the ConsoliDator+.
The PDA-LH was installed on top of the PDA3909 enclosure which contains the PD9000.
PDA-LH3LC-RYG Light & Horn
The PDA-LH3LC-RYG includes 3-layers of colors; Red, Yellow, and Green.
ConsoliDator+ easily mounted to the wall panel.
The Consolidator+ is configured to display the bargraphs with alarm set points and readings for both filling area locations.

An additional alarm was configured to flash the amber light in case a sensor break has occurred.

In addition to external alarms, the ConsoliDator+ can display visual alarms on the screen with the use of color-changing channels to help draw operators’ attention to a potential hazard.

ConsoliDator+ easily mounted to the wall panel.
Click on the image above to see a large view of how the installer at this power plant wired the relays for alarms and the Light/Horn on the ConsoliDator+.
ConsoliDator+ easily mounted to the wall panel.
The above example demonstrates the possibilities of using color-changing channels on the ConsoliDator+ display for alarm conditions.
Gas detectors must be calibrated often and can give erroneous outputs during calibration that may cause false alarms to occur. To prevent this, an “Inhibit Mode” feature was configured on the PD9000 in which the operator presses a button on the Consolidator+ to force off and disable any active alarms that could potentially turn on the sprinkler system when it’s not actually needed.
The operator can then press the button after the calibration is finished to return the ConsoliDator+ to “Run Mode”. Or, if the operator forgets to manually put the controller back into “Run Mode”, the ConsoliDator+ will automatically switch back without operator input thanks to the timer functions on the ConsoliDator+.
See More Information on the ConsoliDator+ Mulitvariable Controllers