We design, install and service laboratory gas detection for pharmaceutical sites, universities, schools and research facilities across Ireland. That covers oxygen depletion monitoring where nitrogen, liquid nitrogen or CO2 are used, flammable gas detection for hydrogen and bench gas, and automatic gas isolation. We have been doing this work since 1983.
Most labs hold more gas than people realise. Cylinders, dewars and piped supplies all add to the risk, and each gas behaves differently if it leaks. The common ones we monitor are:
Nitrogen, argon, helium and carbon dioxide are not flammable, and most are not toxic at the levels found in a lab. The danger is that they push oxygen out of the room. Normal air contains about 21% oxygen. As inert gas builds up, that figure falls, and a person in the room gets no warning from smell or irritation.
Liquid nitrogen adds to this. A small spill or a venting dewar turns into a large volume of gas, and in a small room or cold store that can lower the oxygen level quickly. An oxygen depletion monitor measures the oxygen in the room continuously and raises an oxygen depletion alarm before the level becomes dangerous. Alarms can be repeated outside the door so nobody walks into a room that is already in alarm.
Placement depends on the gas. Carbon dioxide and argon are heavier than air, and cold nitrogen boil-off tends to sink, so sensors for these sit low. Hydrogen and helium rise, so a hydrogen detector goes high, above the point where a leak could occur. Oxygen sensors are usually placed at breathing height, close to where the inert gas is stored or used.
We look at each room, the gas sources, the ventilation and how people work before we recommend positions. Our range of fixed gas detectors covers flammable, toxic, oxygen and refrigerant gases, so one system can watch several hazards at once.
Pharmaceutical clean rooms and large research buildings bring their own problems. Access to the room is restricted, and every visit for maintenance has a cost. A sequential sampling system such as the GDS 305 draws air from up to 48 sample points back to one central unit, so most of the hardware and the routine servicing stay outside the controlled area.
Where many rooms each need their own sensor, a multi-channel control panel brings them together. The Medem AGDS MCM V2 handles up to 16 channels from one panel, which suits a corridor of labs or a teaching block.
In university and school labs, bench gas is a daily risk. A tap left open or a damaged hose can fill a room with gas. Gas isolation in science labs links the detection system to a solenoid valve on the gas supply, so the gas is shut off automatically when a leak is detected. The same valve can be closed by an emergency stop button, and many schools also want the supply to stay off until a teacher resets it.
We cover how these systems work on our gas interlock systems page. At handover we train your staff on how the system operates and how to reset it after an alarm.
Ventilation helps, but it can fail, be switched off or be overwhelmed by a large release such as a liquid nitrogen spill. An oxygen depletion monitor tells you when the air is no longer safe, whatever the cause. Your risk assessment should decide, and we can help you work through it.
Yes. A multi-channel panel or sampling system can take sensors for different gases, each with its own alarm levels. This is common in labs where several gases are in use in the same building.
Yes. We work across education, including schools and universities, as well as pharmaceutical, healthcare and scientific research facilities.
Gas sensors drift over time, so they need regular calibration with certified test gas. The right interval depends on the sensor, the gas and the manufacturer’s guidance. Our database flags a month in advance when your service is due.
Yes. Our engineers service and maintain gas detection equipment from many manufacturers, not only the brands we supply.
Tell us which gases you use and how many rooms are involved, and we will recommend a layout and arrange a site visit. Call 01 289 7720 or email info@vistec.ie.
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