Remote monitoring, notification now available for leading range of fixed gas and flame detectors

Plant and process engineers who need a dependable, cloud-ready fixed gas and flame detection monitoring system will find that MSA Safety’s highly respected FieldServer FGFD ProtoAir Gateway offers them a reliable, versatile, intelligent state-of-the-art solution to worker safety.

Recent events have made it necessary for some plants, operating with hazardous gases and chemicals, to work around the clock to catch up with heightened demand. MSA’s FieldServer FGFD ProtoAir Gateway provides plant operators with 24/7 connection to their fixed flame and gas systems so they can look after unmanned sites whenever and wherever they want.  

The FieldServer FGFD ProtoAir Gateway is a wireless external, high-calibre, economical industrial plant control and building automation IoT gateway. This system offers cloud connectivity as well as immediate deployment of multiple field protocols, which allows new or already installed instruments to interface easily with other protocols.

The Fieldserver FGFD ProtoAir Gateway is pre-configured by MSA Safety before delivery with their most widely-used fixed gas and flame detectors (Ultima® X5000, Ultima X, ChillGard® 5000, ChillGard VRF, TriGard, ZGard®, Senscient ELDS™, S5000, IR5500/OPIR-5, FL500 UV-IR, FL500 UV-IR H2, FL4000H MSIR, MC600, SupremaTouch and ModCon 75 Touch), which enables seamless Cloud communications to one or many MSA FGFD detectors and systems that monitor: toxic and combustible gases, oxygen deficiency, and open flames.   

The FieldServer ProtoAir Gateway can also be expanded to include other process safety equipment that have 4-20 mA, Modbus or BACnet connectivity.  As an example, should a fire event be detected by MSA’s FL500 Flame Detector, the system can optionally include notification and automatic halon or sprinkler extinguishing systems, or if a gas leak is detected by the Ultima X5000, the control system can instruct a valve to shut off the line or act to bypass it. 

The ProtoAir is enhanced considerably by the integrated MSA Grid Cloud support by enabling remote monitoring, control, cloud-based alarm notifications via SMS or e-mail, for trouble or alarm conditions and data visualisation via MSA Grid dashboards. Users can view data, configure dashboards, download data, and carry out remote monitoring and control for connected devices off site.

The ProtoAir FPA-C4X uses LTE to securely connect devices to AT&T, Verizon or Vodafone networks. This cellular connection enables IoT applications to move machine data into the cloud for maintenance, management and troubleshooting of remote equipment. An embedded OpenVPN Server offers secure remote access and programming of the OEM’s Ethernet devices in the field.

When housed in a NEMA 4 enclosure, the FGFD ProtoAir is ideal for use in hazardous environments and includes an integrated cellular antenna and all the necessary safety precautions.  The MSA Grid FieldServer Manager provides the most economical, and simplest way to deploy solutions to meet current demands for cloud-based connectivity.

FieldSafe is added to every FieldServer gateway; this ensures device security by securing the local hardware and MSA’s Grid application with some of the most contemporary technology currently available to the IoT marketplace.