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Occupational safety is closely related to the
detection, measurement, analysis and control
of health hazards at the workplace.
Particular challenges are posed by gases
and vapours, and also by lack or surolus of
oxygen in the ambient air. Many substances
are odourless and tasteless, and are therefore
undetectable by the human senses.
Of course, there are highly odorous substances which give off a strong smell even
in small, harmless quantities. Over time,
however, we become used to a particular
odour, with the result that our sense of
smell is desensitized and we fail to detect
the substance even when it is present in
higher concentrations.
A wide range of different detection and
warning instruments is available to protect
workers. These instruments are used in all
kinds of areas, e.g. in the chemical, petrochemical, steel-producing and steel-processing
industries, in mining and in municipal
supply and disposal companies, for
many different applications, e.g.:
- to protect personnel working in areas
where low gas concentrations are
constantly present,
- to alert personnel to sudden gas out
breaks,
- to give workplaces the all-clear following
gas testing,
- to perform safety measurements before
personnel enter or start work in confined
spaces, shafts or tanks,
- to protect visitors who are touring the
company's facilities.
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Personal monitors probably make up the
largest group of the different measurement
and warning instruments, and are attached
to the user's clothing, normally to the breast
pocket, where they are close to the user's
face. They warn the user when harmful
concentrations of toxic gases or vapours
are present in the ambient air. As well as
expecting the instrument to be reliable,
users demand:
- a high level of ergonomics and comfort,
- ease of operation,
- reliable alarms,
- suitability for use in the measurement
range of workplace limit values,
- operating times which are as long as possible,
allowing the instrument to be used
at least for the duration of an entire shift,
- a sturdy housing,
- a high IP protection class.
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One family of instruments to cover all
applications
The new family of Dräger Pac instruments
includes different versions of single-gas detectors
and warning instruments. Specially
adapted to individual applications, they are
routinely used in industrial settings for all
kinds of tasks. The different instrument
types offer different operating times
(anything from 100 days to unlimited use),
a status and/or concentration display, an
event logger (Pac 5000), replaceable
sensors and a data logger (Pac 7000).
Depending on the particular type and sensor,
the instruments can be used to measure
gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen
sulphide, oxygen, ammonia, hydrocyanic
acid, chlorine, carbon dioxide, hydrogen
phosphide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen
dioxide. |
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Dräger Pac 1000
Maintenance-free detector for 100 days
of operation with status display; for carbon
monoxide, hydrogen sulphide or oxygen |
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Dräger Pac 3000
Maintenance-free detector for two years of
operation with status display and operating
day counter, adjustable from one day to
two years; for carbon monoxide, hydrogen
sulphide or oxygen. |
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Dräger Pac 5000
Maintenance-free detector for two years
of operation with concentration display,
operating day counter, adjustable from
one day to two years, and event logger;
for carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide
or oxygen. |
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Dräger Pac 7000
Detector with unlimited operating time,
concentration display, operating day
counter, adjustable from one day to two
years, data logger and replaceable sensors;
for carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide,
oxygen, ammonia, hydrocyanic acid, chlorine,
carbon dioxide, hydrogen phosphine,
sulphur dioxide or nitrogen dioxide. |
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Instruments tailor-made for personal
monitoring
Portable instruments must feature a compact
and convenient design. All versions of
the Pac family are tailor-made for personal
monitoring in daily work settings. One of
the chief aims during the development
process was to design sturdy and durable
instruments of a size perfectly adapted to
their intended use which can be used for
long periods without the need to replace
the sensor.
The impact-resistant housing is coated
with rubber for protection and is resistant
to corrosive chemicals. The instruments
meet the requirements of IP 65, and have
EMC protection conforming to the IEC
specification. In addition, protection against
electromagnetic effects has been especially
optimized as compared with other instruments
currently available on the market. |
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Large display information
The large display presents information in
large numerals or symbols rather than in
text form. The display can be used languagefree.
The display is illuminated in the event
of an alarm, or at the push of a button, to
make it easier to read. The Pac 1000 and
Dräger Pac 3000 instruments feature a
status display which shows the gas type
to be measured, the actual concentration
present if an alarm is given, the operating
time, as well as and warningicons. In the
case of the Pac 5000 and Pac 7000, the
screen continuously displays the current
concentration.
Secure attachment to clothing is an essential
prerequisite in personal monitoring.
A stable and securely locking alligator clip
made of stainless steel reliably fixes the
instrument in place on the user's clothing.
To allow for individual wearing preferences,
the alligator clip is rotatable. The two alarm
lamps are positioned at the corners of the
instrument. Naturally, the gas inlet for the
sensor must not be covered or obstructed
when the instrument is fitted to the user's clothing, and for this reason the sensor is positioned inside the housing such that gas
enters from above and from the front – this
improves safety and allows for individual
wearing of the instrument.
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To provide reliable protection against hazards,
clearly recognizable alarms are essential.
In combination with a vibration alarm,
audible and visual alarms are triggered if
the set alarm limits are violated. A two-tone
alarm is used for optimum perception. Two
adjustable alarm thresholds are available.
A warning is also given at the end of the instrument's
operating time, when the battery
capacity is exhausted, and in the event of
a malfunction. The Pac 7000 additionally
boasts a TWA alarm and an STEL alarm,
and displays the peak concentration. |
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Powerful new sensor technology
It is the sensors which generally determine
whether an instrument is capable of alerting
the user to potential hazards as quickly as
possible, and ideally virtually instantaneously.
The Pac detectors are equipped with a
new sensor technology: thanks to extremely
short electrochemical reaction times and
diffusion paths, the new sensors respond
as quick as a flash and display any gas
hazards which occur more or less instantly.
The new XXS sensors are sensors "en
miniature", whose compact dimensions
allow small instruments which are ideally
suited to the task in hand. |
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Bump test mode for greater functional
reliability
It goes without saying that the safety of
personnel must always be given top priority.
Their safety depends on perfectly functioning
detection and warning instruments, which
is why many countries have regulations in
place which demand regular checks of instrument
functions using a known gas concentration.
This check is known as a bump
or function test. The new Dräger Pac instruments
feature a bump test mode – if
a bump test needs to be carried out, an
icon appears on the screen. The user can
set the bump test interval, and the result of
the bump test is saved in the event logger (Dräger Pac 5000) or the data logger
(Dräger Pac 7000). A bump test station is
available to help perform the bump test. |
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Individual instrument settings and
calibration
For the purposes of individual configuration
and calibration, the instrument is connected
to a PC via the communication module or
the E-Cal system. This combination, together
with the Pac Vision or CC Vision software
installed on the PC, allows all functions to
be configured, the instrument to be calibrated,
and stored data to be analysed. |
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The Pac 7000 features a password-protected
menu function on the instrument itself
which can be used to selected the fresh
air calibration and sensitivity calibration.
In the case of the Pac 3000, 5000 and
7000 instruments, an individual operating
time can be set, e.g. a calibration interval,
an inspection interval or an individual
operating time end. |
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Event logger, data logger
Many users require the instrument to come
with an event logger or data logger to enable
them to subsequently analyse a particular
incident. The Dräger Pac 5000 is
equipped with an event logger which can
store 60 events, while the Dräger Pac 7000
features a data logger which additionally
stores the recorded concentrations on a
continuous basis, with the peak concentrations
stored at intervals set by the user.
When a one-minute interval is set, the data
logger has a storage capacity of around five
days. The stored data can be downloaded
with their respective dates and times using
a PC and the installed Pac Vision or CC
Vision software, and edited using, for
example, Microsoft EXCEL or the Dräger
GasVision software. |
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Detlef Ott
Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA
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Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA |
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Revalstrasse 1 |
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23560 Luebeck, Germany |
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Tel +49 451 882 0
Fax +49 451 882 2080
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