Safety Features Designed into a Gas Panel

Original equipment manufacturers around the world utilize a range of gases in their operations. The type of gas that’s used is based on the desired outcome of that specific process, whether it requires combustion, cutting, coating, treatment or a variety of other applications. Once the appropriate gas is selected, manufacturers look for the most efficient and effective gas delivery system for their needs.

While equipping each work station with its own gas cylinder would allow workers to complete projects efficiently, it could also lead to dangerous working environments. To address safety concerns while also providing a centralized delivery system, gas panels and gas boxes manufactured by Axenics can provide an efficient way to deliver the right amount of gas to each workstation. In addition, implementation of these systems allows for gas cylinder switch-outs to happen more conveniently, with less disruption to the production floor, and reduce the number of canisters taking up space on the floor.

Safety Features Installed into a Gas Panel

Safety is a priority when designing and constructing a gas delivery system. Here are gas panel safety features that manufacturers should be aware of to work towards a safer working environment:

Flash Arresters

When working with gas that is highly flammable, flash arresters are critical. These devices prevent flames that may have ignited inside the piping system from traveling back down the line into the gas cylinder. The flash arrester is mounted inline and normally has a check valve attached, although the gas panel may be designed with the check valve in another location.  Flash arresters may be commonly seen in delivery systems where acetylene gas and hydrogen gas are used.

Check Valves

Check valves are designed into the gas panel to prevent the backflow of gas from entering the delivery system and filling up inside the gas box. Check valves can also prevent gases from entering other piping systems. This can sometimes occur if one gas has a higher set pressure than another gas cylinder that is connected to the same system.

Gas Panel Access Window

Some gases are highly reactive and toxic. When workers want to control the valves without impacting the exhaust system in the gas box, they can have a small access window installed. The window offers extra protection to workers.

Sprinkler Heads

Sprinkler heads are another design option an OEM may wish to consider with the design specifications for their gas panels. The sprinkler head can be installed inside the delivery system so that it can release a water pressure with a minimum of 25 pounds per square inch to deal with flammable gases that catch fire when attached to the piping system.

Additional Safety Features to Consider in the Work Space

Besides the safety components that Axenics can manufacture into your gas panels, there are additional features that can be deployed to offer additional protection to workers. Consider installing alarms in an alarm panel located somewhere in the room. The alarms can sound when there is a problem when a certain gas system is in use, such as having an alarm that sounds for the reserve tanks or high system pressure. There can also be alarms to warn workers when filters have high pressure loss, or when the purifiers are at a lower capacity. In addition, a gas monitoring system can be installed when using toxic or flammable gases that may build up in the enclosed room.

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