Special Services

Performance of Combustible Gas Detection Instruments

Combustible gas detection instruments for the U.S. and Canada may require additional performance-related testing beyond the testing required for electrical safety and explosion hazards. For the Canadian market, these additional performance requirements are contained in CSA standard C22.2 No. 152, Combustible Gas Detection Instruments. For the U.S. market, these additional performance requirements are contained in ISA-S12.13, Performance Requirements For Combustible Gas Detectors.

Instruments that fall within the scope of CSA C22.2 No. 152 and/or ISA-S12.13 include:

• any device that registers, displays, or has a setting for gas concentration or explosive limits (for example, a Lower Explosive Limit (LEL)); or
• any device that has a scale to display gas concentration and that includes literature that correlates the levels of concentration with the explosive limits; or
• any safety device that is used to detect combustible gas and to active a ventilation system and/or shut down an electrical system if gas concentrations reach a preset level

Instruments are outside the scope of C22.2 No. 152 and ISA-S12.13 if:

• the device does not register or display gas explosive limits (for example, LEL)
• the instrument has a scale that displays gas concentration, but the accompanying literature for the device does not correlate the concentration of combustible gas with the explosive limits (for example, LEL).

Multiple Gas Detection Instruments

Some multi-function instruments could be designed to:

1. detect combustible gas and register values for the explosive limits (for example, LEL), and
2. provide a readout of gas concentrations (for example, H2S or O2).

In these cases, only the portion of the instrument that detects the combustible gas relative to the explosive limits is within the scope of either C22.2 No. 152 or ISA-S12.13.

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Field Certification Motor Repair Shop Program Performance of Combustable Gas Detection Instruments Technical Information Services (TIS)