paddys new toy

[Rotary-Motion]

THE gadget for biodiesel makers - The Methalyzer and ...... It's open source so all codes/parts lists/pcb info is available. I've got 9 pcbs in stock.

[Julian]

There's been a thread on the VOD about it for some time.  Looks quite good.

[Rotary-Motion]

oh right , dont go there these days

koolio just delte thread...

[K.H]

From what ive read i dont see the point, how is it meant to be used?

[Julian]

I guess it alarms if methanol fumes approach a dangerous level.

Wonder what the alarm level and safe level are?

[CHUNDER]

Safe breatheable  level depends on exposeure time .
Safe from ignition level can be quantified at up to 3% in atmosphere. Ignition level is 6% in atmosphere so you need at least a 3% safety margin.
But all electricals should be switched off at 1% giving a safe switching percentage of 5% Just throwing a low voltage  switch at 6% is bang time
By ignition I mean explosion which is nothing more than a very fast fier.

[Tony]

Interesting figures Chunder - where did you get them from?  Would be useful to add to the Methanol wiki page I think.

I wonder if it is like mains gas - those guys work on it live, you see them with gas pouring out of a hole in the ground - they say it is quite safe, you could even smoke near it so long as you're not within a certain radius band where the concentration is right for it to ignite.

[Julian]

I stuck a fork through a plastic gas pipe some years ago ... it was only 6" below the ground.   Called the gas board and the first thing the guys did when they arrived was to have a cigarette while they discussed how they would fix the problem!

[Rotary-Motion]

I stuck a fork through a plastic gas pipe some years ago ... it was only 6" below the ground.   Called the gas board and the first thing the guys did when they arrived was to have a cigarette while they discussed how they would fix the problem!

real men at work

 

[CHUNDER]

Got all the info from various sources but its also on wikipidea if you want confermation .
Had to study many gasses  Carbon monoxide and Methane being to me the most dangerous working as a ventilation officer for the Coal Board.
Methenol  has rael nasty charicteristics


Like  all Liquids it don't burn but let it gasify and then you got problems.   

[julesandtash]

I had the same job in a hardrock metal mine Jerry. Good thing with hard rock mining is that the only methane came from the miners themselves after a night on the beer and curry.
My biggest issue was Radon and very high temperatures due to radioactive decay in the granite. Both still had the ability to kill people, just took a lot longer than methane explosions to do it.

[CHUNDER]

The one I worked in most of the time was 1100 yards deep a real big problem for me was heat dispation and keeping oxygen levels at above 19%,  Plus damn methane and co2 and carbon monoxide .  Any further than 700 yards from the pit bottom and everybody was striped to a pair of shorts.

[julesandtash]

We were 470 fathoms (Cornish mines always measured in fathoms below adit level). 6 feet in a fathom and adit level was 180 feet below surface so 3000 feet - similar to yourself.

[jondanbob]

wow whoever designed the hardware must be really clever looks nice

[K.H]

wow whoever designed the hardware must be really clever looks nice

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