Special Flames

Hydrogen (H2), the lightest gas, is used extensively in various industrial processes as achemical reducer (in oxidation reactions) and as a hypergolic fuel (reacting with oxygen)for space rocket engines. Hydrogen flames are almost invisible to the naked eye.

In a hydrogen fire, the main intermediate is the hydroxyl radical OH that further reactswith oxygen to produce the main combustion product, water vapor H2O. The energyfrom this combustion process is emitted in UV, Visible and IR at specific spectral bands.

H2O emits mainly in the near IR band with a strong peak at 2.7 micron. Detecting theemitted IR radiation from a Hydrogen flame enables fast and reliable optical detectionwith high immunity to false alarms. Before, detection distance was somewhat limitedusing UV/IR detectors but the SharpEye Models 40/40M (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040M.htm) Multi IR will detect a 20" (0.5m) 'invisible' Hydrogenflame at 100 ft (30m).

Hydrogen containing gases like Ammonia (NH3), Hydrazine (N2H4), various chemicalscontaining hydrogen like Metal Hydrides (AlH3), Acids (H2SO4), Hydrogen Sulfide(H2S), etc., exhibit similar emission spectra in combustion processes, hence their flamesare detected reliably and rapidly by SharpEye UV/IR Flame Detectors, which can pickup the H2O and OH radiation at UV and IR. Simultaneous presence of both IR and UVsignals allow these detectors to monitor for these fire from these hazardous materials

A hydrogen fire typically emits UV, VIS and near IR radiation at specific spectral bands.The strong radiation peak at 2.7 micron is easily detected by the advanced SharpEyeOptical Flame Detectors.

Ammonia (NH3) is a highly flammable, colorless toxic gas, extremely irritant with apungent odor. SharpEye UV and UV/IR Detectors are suitable for detection of ammoniaflames, which are almost invisible, with high UV and near IR (2.7micron) radiationpeaks.SharpEye UV flame detector40/40U-UB (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040U-UB.htm) as well as the UV/IR flame detectors40/40L-LB (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040UVIR.htm) are suitable for ammoniaflames detection.

Ammonia flames exhibit high UV radiation coupled with near IR strong radiation peak at2.7 micron due to their high content of hydrogen in the molecular structure.

Ethanol, Methanol, IPA, MTBE and other gasoline oxygenates.
Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE), a key component of clean-burning gasoline,ethanol, methanol and other gasoline oxygenates that are used in various parts of theworld as gasoline additives and to some extent substitutes, pose a unique fire detectionproblem as their flames are almost invisible!

These flames produce mainly H2O as a combustion product, which emits radiation inthe near IR 2.7 micron spectral band. SharpEye UV/IR Flame Detectors employ this IRchannel coupled with the UV spectral channel to identify the radiation emitted by the OHintermediate combustion product.

Click on the specific detector below to find out the sensitivity to alcohol flames:40/40M (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040M.htm) , 40/40I(http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040I.htm) 40/40L-LB (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040UVIR.htm) , 40/40U-UB (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040U-UB.htm)

Alcohols and other hydrocarbon oxygenates flames are almost invisible however exhibitstrong emissions in the UV and near IR spectral bands.

The SharpEye Triple IR (IR3) Flame Detector is specially calibrated to detect LPG firesand LNG fires in LPG/LNG terminals, storage tanks, loading and off-loading areas.

The latest 40/40I (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040I.htm) and 40/40M (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040M.htm) detectors offera significant increase in the methane and propane detection area covered by just one detector

LNG - Liquefied Natural Gas is composed primarily of methane and as such hasa unique spectral pattern in the UV and IR spectral bands. SharpEye 40/40U-UB (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040U-UB.htm), 40/40L-LB (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040UVIR.htm) , 40/40I(http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040I.htm) and 40/40M (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040M.htm) are suitable for detecting theseflames.

LPG - Liquefied Petroleum Gas is composed of various light hydrocarbons that havea wide range of emission bands in both the UV and IR spectra thus enabling the use ofseveral detectors depending on the required detection sensitivity and range. Click fordetailed info on the various applicable detectors: 40/40L-LB (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040UVIR.htm) , 40/40I (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040I.htm) and 40/40M (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040M.htm)
Click here (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/Applications/PDF/AN-StorageTanks_May07.pdf) for link to the full application note

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) are highlycombustible and even explosive in their gaseous state. Their flames are almost invisiblehowever exhibit strong UV radiation and several near IR radiation peaks including themajor 2.7 and 4.4 microns bands.

Spectrex had developed a unique, high reliability, fast response flame detector as partof an Air Force project to address its ammunition production and handling safety needs.

The most important requirements issued by the armed forces were fast response time (<5milliseconds) and high immunity to false alarms. Spectrex Inc designed the Model 20/
20F which had been tested by the US Air Force Laboratories and was found to meet the requirements.

Propellants and Explosives consist of organic hydrocarbons that burn violently featuringa unique spectral "fingerprint" and requiring fast detection instantly at their ignition.Their flames exhibit strong UV and near IR radiation.

Silane (SiH4) is an extremely flammable and toxic gas. The substance mayspontaneously ignite on contact with air.

Detecting Silane fires by conventional IR or UV/IR optical flame detectors (which relyon the 4.3 micron peak of CO2) is difficult, since Silane's combustion products emitalmost invisible radiation (similar to hydrogen flames).
Silane combustion products, OH and H2O, are responsible for most of the Silane flameemission in the UV (below 0.3 microns) and near IR (2.7 microns) spectral bands.

SharpEye models 40/40L (http://www.spectrex-inc.com/SharpEye/Products/4040UVIR.htm) are most suited - the ultra-fast UV/IR detector in particular for detectionof a Silane-air explosion, providing alarm within several milliseconds, well before itdevelops into an uncontrollable situation.

Silane gas may spontaneously ignite in the air, burning with an almost invisible flamethat similarly to hydrogen flame exhibits strong UV and near IR radiation peaks that areeasily detected by SharpEye Optical Detectors.