APPLICATION NOTE

Aviator breathing gas cylinders being handled on the airport apron

Panametrics Dew.IQ Analyzer Safeguards Aviator Breathing Gas Purity for Airlines

Summary

Airlines prioritize the safety and comfort of passengers by ensuring the Aviator Breathing Gas (ABG) supplied for every flight meets the highest purity and quality standards. That requires a robust system able to monitor and confirm the purity of the gas at multiple critical points across the supply chain.

Application

The application calls for continuous monitoring of oxygen purity and moisture content at three points: at the outlet of each charging station, at the filling cylinder rack, and in the final Aviator Breathing Gas cylinders used on board each flight.

Monitored points	Charging station outlets, filling cylinder rack, final ABG cylinders
Measured parameters	Oxygen purity (up to 100%) and moisture content
Moisture measurement capability	Below 1 ppm

Benefits:

Comprehensive quality control at every critical point in the supply chain
Enhanced safety – reliable moisture and oxygen analysis prevents corrosion and operational failures
Increased efficiency – one streamlined system reduces complexity and downtime

Rack of Aviator Breathing Gas filling cylinders

Challenge

The key challenge for airlines is maintaining consistent Aviator Breathing Gas quality across an entire fleet. Undetected moisture can lead to equipment corrosion and operational failures, potentially compromising passenger safety. Measuring at multiple points – the charging station outlets, the filling cylinder rack, and the final ABG cylinders – adds further complexity to the task.

Solution

The core of the solution combines a thermoparamagnetic analyzer for oxygen measurement with proven aluminum oxide technology for moisture, accurately monitoring all three critical points along the gas supply chain. Panametrics supplies an integrated analyzer system with sampling capability and isolation valves for each stream, simplifying operation and reducing potential points of failure. The Panametrics XMO2pro oxygen analyzer measures the purity of the bottled gas up to 100%, and its field-calibration capability keeps it accurate over the long term. The dew.IQ analyzer together with the IQ.probe sensor accurately measures moisture concentrations below 1 part per million, with annual calibration maintaining accuracy over the sensor’s lifetime.

Panametrics IQ.probe aluminum oxide moisture sensor

Single-channel moisture analyzer Panametrics Dew.IQ

Datasheet (PDF) Panametrics Dew.IQ

Panametrics XMO2pro Oxygen Analyzer

Datasheet (PDF) Panametrics XMO2pro

Source: Panametrics Application Note PANA012AN (panametrics.com) — © Panametrics LLC. Localized and adapted by INTECH CONTROL, official Panametrics representative in the Slovak Republic and Hungary.

Oxygen Measurement in Reactor Feed Gas Ensures Reliable Formaldehyde Production

Problem

Oxygen is commonly measured in reactor feed gases or reactor head spaces. One such application is the industrial production of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is produced by mixing specific amounts of methanol vapor with oxygen in a reactor in the presence of a catalyst, most commonly metal oxides. This method keeps the methanol vapor below the explosive limit that would be surpassed by more traditional techniques using a silver catalyst. With 80% of the production cost of formaldehyde being made up of the raw material used in the reaction, the oxygen content within the reactor must be controlled at an optimum level to produce a successful yield.

Application

Application	0% to 21% O₂ in N₂ saturated with methanol vapors
Temperature	Ambient
Pressure	5 psig (≈0.34 bar)

Benefits:

No moving parts to be fouled by liquid carryover
Sensor is not consumed as with galvanic fuel cells
Simple field calibration
Turnkey sample conditioning system

Challenge

The challenge in this application relates to the potential for liquid carryover to the oxygen analyzer, along with the reliability of the measurement. Traditional dumbbell-type paramagnetic sensors have been used in the past for these applications; however, they required extensive maintenance. Liquid carryover is extremely damaging to these units, so the challenge is to use an oxygen analyzer with minimal maintenance requirements and the durability to recover from process upsets.

Solution

Air is used as the source of oxygen in the formaldehyde production process. The air and methanol vapor mixture is sampled at the inlet to the reactor. The XMO2pro thermoparamagnetic oxygen transmitter verifies that the optimal amount of oxygen — typically 9.8% — is present to achieve a complete reaction with minimal waste. The sample system is mounted near the sample point to prevent measurement lag time. A typical installation includes the thermoparamagnetic oxygen transmitter, a display/controller and a sample system. The sample system components — including the inlet and calibration valves, a filter/coalescer assembly, pressure gauge and flowmeter — are normally plate-mounted.

Sample system diagram with XMO2pro oxygen analyzer

Source: Panametrics Application Note PANA059AN (panametrics.com) — © Panametrics LLC. Localized and prepared by INTECH CONTROL, the official Panametrics representative in Slovakia and Hungary.