SIL-2 rated flow switch ensures eye wash station and shower flow assurance in hazardous areas

Fluid Components International’s (FCI) SIL-2 rated FLT93 Flow Switch provides a reliable solution for technicians in the petrochemical, refineries, chemical, and other industrial sectors that need to comply with international legislation, such as the U.S. OSHA regulations for emergency eye wash stations and showers in hazardous areas.

Hazardous industrial areas in refineries and other industrial locations fall under stringent regulations such as OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910.151(c). Global safety regulations require emergency eye wash stations and showers to be readily available that enable personnel to flush themselves free from corrosive materials as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Aside from the deployment of eyewash/shower stations, other criteria needs to be met. For example, the American National Standards Institute Z358:1 regulation stipulates that eye wash stations and showers are to dispense water within a temperature range of 60 to 100°F /16 to 38°C. Temperature control is needed to avoid hypothermic shock or scalding.

The SIL-2-rated FLT93 Water Flow Switches have global agency safety approvals for installation and deployment in hazardous areas. These devices are dual-functional, with an alarm for both flow and temperature discrepancies. When installed in an emergency eye wash station and shower water supply alarm system, they offer immediate detection when a station is being used and are sensitive enough to warn operators of the smallest of leaks. These instruments are flow switches; they use thermal dispersion flow measurement technology to provide extremely precise and repeatable flow rate monitoring while offering end users equally dependable and repeatable relay trip points.

If the flow rate or temperature is above or below the requisite levels, the electronic flow switches activate a 6 amp relay to change state. The state change can be applied to trigger an alarm, to suspend, or shut down the process. FCI’s FLT93 Series Switches' unique sensor technology and sophisticated temperature compensation circuitry provide unsurpassed repeatability and dependable trip point operation. Trip point accuracy on flow is an impressive ± 2% of the flow rate velocity over a ±50°F or ±28°C temperature range, while repeatability is ±0.5% of the reading. Temperature accuracy is ±2.0°F or ±1°C, and trip point repeatability is ±1.0ËšF or ±0.6ËšC.

FLT93 Series Switches include dual 6A relay outputs as standard and are user-assignable to flow or temperature. A universal power supply supports 115 Vac, 230 Vac, or 24 Vdc powering the switch relay trip point or alarm is easy to field-configure and can also be factory pre-set to simplify installation or changes. These 316L stainless steel devices have an all-welded design, with no moving parts and, with nothing that can be broken, clogged, or fouled, they are almost maintenance-free. With its exceedingly long life and low lifecycle, these switches also offer excellent cost-effectiveness.

The FLT93 Series is the world’s most popular installed heavy-duty thermal dispersion flow switch. Having been developed from decades of experience in flow switch engineering and application installation to provide an unsurpassed level of dependability and repeatability, there is no surprise that these robust and long-lasting industrial-grade switches are so popular.