Gas & Flame Detectors Receive IEC 61508 Certification by FM Approvals

General Monitors (USA) announces that most of its gas and flame detectors have received IEC 61508 certification from FM Approvals, demonstrating suitability to a particular Safety Integrity Level (SIL).
“General Monitors completed the certification process with FM Approvals in response to customer requests,” according to Dr. Edward Naranjo, Product Line Manager at General Monitors. “There is confusing information in the marketplace about SIL,” Naranjo continued. “We recognized our customers’ concerns and simplified the process by working with a fully accredited notified body to obtain third party certification. It is noteworthy that the certification process went swiftly underscoring the inherent quality and reliability of General Monitors products.”
The General Monitors products receiving certification are the FL3100, FL3101, FL3102, FL3110, FL3111, FL3112, and FL4000 Flame Detectors; the IR400, IR4000M, IR4000S, IR2100, IR5000, S4000C, S4000CH, and S4100C Combustible Gas Detectors; the S4000TH, S4000T, S4100T, and TS4000 Toxic Gas Detectors; and the Gassonic Observer and Surveyor Ultrasonic Gas Leak Detectors. These products are used in the oil & gas industry from production to refining to storage and distribution as well as in other process industries where plant equipment and people are exposed to hazardous plant conditions.
Gas and flame detectors that are vetted and certified to comply with IEC 61508 offer several benefits. Certification provides greater assurance about a supplier’s claim of SIL suitability. The voice of a foremost authority on normative standards for fire and gas detection equipment and an impartial organization like FM Approvals can lend added credibility to a supplier’s assessment. Additionally, reliability calculations for end devices are already performed and available to the user, reducing the lead times for implementing SIL rated processes.
A new White Paper entitled, “SIL 105: How Can IEC 61508 Approval Aid Users in the Selection and Application of SIL Suitable Fire and Gas Detectors,” is available for download from the General Monitors website. This site continues General Monitors’ 48-year history of focusing on customer problems by offering a diverse set of industry leading safety solutions. The company is committed to the SIL functional safety process and now offers the industry’s widest breadth and depth of full approved products.