Materials System Specification

34-SAMSS-514
Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

26 December 2013

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards

Table of Contents

Previous Issue: 26 January 2009

Scope............................................................. 2

Conflicts and Deviations................................. 2

References..................................................... 2

General Requirements................................... 3

Technical Requirements................................. 5

Performance Tests......................................... 8

Other Miscellaneous Requirements............... 9

Next Planned Update: 26 December 2018

Page 1 of 10

Primary contact: Abeediah, Saeed Mohammad on +966-13-8801338

CopyrightSaudi Aramco 2013. All rights reserved.

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation

Issue Date: 26 December 2013
Next Planned Update: 26 December 2018

34-SAMSS-514
Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

Scope
This specification defines the minimum mandatory requirements for stationary
combustible gas and hydrogen sulfide detection and monitoring systems, the purpose of
which is to detect and warn of the presence of combustible gas and hydrogen sulfide gas
in ambient air.

Conflicts and Deviations

2.1

Any conflicts between this specification and other applicable Saudi Aramco
Materials System Specifications (SAMSSs), Engineering Standards (SAESs),
Standard Drawings (SASDs), or industry standards, codes, and forms shall be
resolved in writing by the Company or Buyer Representative through the
Manager, Process & Control Systems Department of Saudi Aramco, Dhahran.

2.2

Direct all requests to deviate from this specification in writing to the Company or
Buyer Representative, who shall follow internal company procedure SAEP-302
and forward such requests to the Manager, Process & Control Systems
Department of Saudi Aramco, Dhahran.

References
Material or equipment supplied to this specification shall comply with the latest edition
of the references listed below, unless otherwise noted.
3.1

Saudi Aramco References

Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure
SAEP-302

Instructions for Obtaining a Waiver of a Mandatory

Saudi Aramco Engineering Requirement

Saudi Aramco Inspection Requirements

Form 175-344900

Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

Saudi Aramco Forms and Data Sheets

Form 8020-514-ENG

Instrument Specification Sheet - Combustible Gas

and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

Form NMR-7930

Nonmaterial Requirements

Page 2 of 10

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation

Issue Date: 26 December 2013
Next Planned Update: 26 December 2018

3.2

34-SAMSS-514
Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

Industry Codes and Standards

International Society for Measurement and Control (Formerly Instrument
Society of America)
ANSI/ISA-60079-29-1 (12.13.01)-2013 Explosive Atmospheres - Part 29-1:
Gas Detectors - Performance Requirements of
Detectors for Flammable Gases
ANSI/ISA-92.00.01-2010 Performance Requirements for Toxic Gas
Detectors
ANSI/ISA-12.13.04-2007 Performance Requirements for Open Path
Combustible Gas Detectors

General Requirements
4.1

Engineering Units
All dimensions and measurements shall be in the International System of
Units (SI), and may be followed by the equivalent value in English
(conventional) units between brackets. When not critical, the equivalent
dimensions may be rounded off to their nearest practical value.

4.2

Environmental Conditions
4.2.1

Temperature
Instruments and control systems shall operate continuously under the
following ambient air temperatures without any degradation of the
manufacturer's guaranteed performance:

Maximum
Minimum

Indoor Air
(2)
Conditioned
35C
(95F)
10C
(50F)

Outdoor
(1)(2)(3)
Sheltered
55C
(131F)
0C
(32F)

Outdoor
(2)(3)
Unsheltered
65C
(149F)
0C
(32F)

Notes:
1)

"Sheltered" refers to permanent, ventilated enclosures or buildings, or permanently

fixed sunshades with a top and three sides.

2)

For instruments which dissipate internal heat and are installed in custom engineered
enclosures (e.g., enclosures not included in the original manufacturer's temperature
certification), an additional 15C shall be added to the above maximum temperatures.
An example, for "indoor air conditioned" installation, the equipment must perform at
35 + 15 = 50C. Similarly, for the "outdoor unsheltered" case, the equipment shall be
designed for a maximum operating temperature of 65 + 15 = 80C.

Page 3 of 10

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation

Issue Date: 26 December 2013
Next Planned Update: 26 December 2018
3)

4.2.2

34-SAMSS-514
Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

For the outdoor installations only, the designer can take credit for forced or passive
cooling to eliminate or reduce the 15C heat rise. For example, if vortex coolers are
used, the heat removal capacity of the coolers may be subtracted from the generated
heat. No more than 15C reduction in temperature will be given as credit. The
designer shall substantiate his claim by providing the support data and calculations.

Contaminants
The equipment manufacturer shall ensure that the equipment is designed
to withstand the following air quality requirements:
4.2.2.1

Dust Concentration
Usual airborne dust concentration is 1 mg/m. During
sandstorms, dust concentrations may reach 500 mg/m.
Particle sizes are as follows:

95% of all particles are less than 20 micrometers

50% of all particles are less than 1.5 micrometers

Elements present in dust include compounds of calcium, silicon,

magnesium, aluminum, potassium, chlorides and sodium.
When wetted (high humidity conditions) these compounds
function as electrolytes and can result in severe corrosion.
Other pollutants present in the atmosphere under the extreme
conditions are:
H2S
Hydrocarbon

4.2.2.2

20 ppm (vol/vol)
150 ppm (vol/vol)

SO2

10 ppm (vol/vol)

CO

100 ppm (vol/vol)

NOx

5 ppm (vol/vol)

O3

1 ppm (vol/vol)

Wind-borne Sea Water Spray

Equipment which is not enclosed or hermetically sealed, but is
situated offshore or near shore (i.e., within 1 km from
shoreline), shall be protected against corrosion and operational
failure due to wind-borne sea water spray and the accumulation
of wetted salt (NaCl).

Page 4 of 10

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation

Issue Date: 26 December 2013
Next Planned Update: 26 December 2018

4.2.3

34-SAMSS-514
Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

Humidity
Indoor humidity design basis shall be 20% to 80% relative humidity.
Outdoor design basis shall be 5% to 95% relative humidity (noncondensing).

Technical Requirements
Technical requirements, shown below, together with the Standards cited in the
References and with specific information entered on the Instrument Specification Sheet
Form 8020-514-ENG, shall be followed by the Vendor in formulating a quotation or
supplying instruments.
5.1

Sensor
5.1.1

5.1.2

General Requirements
5.1.1.1

Sensors shall be certified for use in Class I, Div. 1, Groups C

and D or Class I, Zone 1, Group IIA & IIB hazardous locations
by UL, FM, CSA, or any of the agencies in the Approved IECEx
Certification Bodies (ExCBs) under the IECEx Certified
Equipment Scheme, , and shall be marked accordingly.
Certification to ATEX directives alone is not acceptable.

5.1.1.2

The vendor shall provide a list of gases and substances which

would desensitize or otherwise adversely affect the sensor.
Any effects on the sensor due to oxygen enriched or oxygen
deficient atmospheres, or high concentrations of the detected
gas, shall also be addressed.

5.1.1.3

Sensors shall be constructed of materials resistant to corrosive

effects of any gases or vapors specified on Form
8020-514-ENG.

5.1.1.4

The vendor shall advise the Company or Buyer Representative

of adverse effects, if any, on sensors as a result of continuous
operation at the environmental extremes listed in Paragraph
4.2.2.

Catalytic Bead Combustible Gas Sensor

5.1.2.1

Sensors for combustible gas detection shall be catalytic beadtype diffusion detectors unless specified otherwise on Form
8020-514-ENG.

Page 5 of 10

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation

Issue Date: 26 December 2013
Next Planned Update: 26 December 2018

5.1.2.2
5.1.3

5.1.4

5.2

34-SAMSS-514
Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

Sensors shall have an operating range of 0-100% LEL of the

specified gas.

Infrared Combustible Gas Sensor

5.1.3.1

When specified on Form 8020-514-ENG, infrared point and/or

open path sensors shall be provided.

5.1.3.2

Sensors shall automatically check for and alarm fouled optics

or blocked beam conditions. Fouled optics or beam blockage
shall not cause a high gas concentration indication or alarm.

5.1.3.3

Sensors shall be immune from interference due to adverse

weather conditions.

5.1.3.4

Point sensors shall have an operating range of 0-100% LEL of

the specified gas.

5.1.3.5

Open path sensors shall determine gas concentration over the

entire path length. Gas concentration shall be expressed as
LEL-meter (percent LEL of the gas cloud multiplied by the
portion of the beam occupied by the gas cloud in meters).

5.1.3.6

Infrared beam alignment tools, if required, shall be provided.

Hydrogen Sulfide Sensor

5.1.4.1

Hydrogen sulfide detection systems shall employ stationary

sensors of the solid state, diffusion adsorption-type as indicated
on Form 8020-514-ENG.

5.1.4.2

Sensors shall have an operating range of 0-100 ppm hydrogen

sulfide in air.

5.1.4.3

For sensors or sensor components which have a finite shelf life,

the vendor shall provide storage and turnover
recommendations to the Company or Buyer Representative.

Transmitter
5.2.1

The transmitter shall be housed with the sensor in a common housing.

5.2.2

Transmitters and housings shall be certified for use in Class I, Div. 1,

Groups C and D or Class I, Zone 1, Group IIA & IIB hazardous locations
by UL, FM, CSA, or any of the agencies in the Approved IECEx
Certification Bodies (ExCBs) under the IECEx Certified Equipment

Page 6 of 10

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation

Issue Date: 26 December 2013
Next Planned Update: 26 December 2018

34-SAMSS-514
Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

Scheme, and shall be marked accordingly. Certification to ATEX

directives alone is not acceptable.

5.2.3

Loop voltage shall be 24 VDC nominal. Power shall be supplied by the

control unit or logic solver to which the transmitter is connected.

5.2.4

Transmitters shall incorporate calibration and fault diagnostic features,

and provide a linear output of 0-22 mA, minimum range. The following
information shall be represented by the signal range:
Detector trouble/open loop

(<4 mA)

Calibration mode/bypass

(<4 mA)

Analog output signal

(4-20 mA)

Signal over-range

(>20 mA)

5.2.5

The 4-20 mA output shall correspond to 0-100% LEL combustible gas,

or 0-100 ppm hydrogen sulfide, in air.

5.2.6

Transmitters for all sensor types shall incorporate an integral, linear

analog or digital indicator for calibration, and for display of actual gas
concentrations.

5.2.7

Indication of operational status, including calibration mode and fault

conditions, shall be provided at the transmitter.

5.2.8

Calibration shall be nonintrusive, i.e., may be performed without

opening the sensor/transmitter housing or declassifying the hazardous
area. Calibration shall require only one person.

5.2.9

Calibration shall require a key or tool in order to prevent accidental,

unintentional, or random adjustments.

5.2.10 Zero and span adjustments shall be non-interactive.

5.2.11 The vendor shall specify transmitter wiring requirements, including
cable type, size, maximum length, and shielding.
5.3

Control Unit
5.3.1

The control unit, when specified, shall be a rack- or cabinet-mounted

system of single-channel control modules.

5.3.2

Twenty percent spare rack capacity (slots), in addition to the required

number of channels specified on Form 8020-514-ENG shall be provided.
Blank faceplates shall cover these spare slots.
Page 7 of 10

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation

Issue Date: 26 December 2013
Next Planned Update: 26 December 2018

34-SAMSS-514
Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

5.3.3

Power for the control unit chassis shall be 120/230 VAC, 60 Hz.
Power supply to the detector shall be 24 VDC.

5.3.4

Control units incorporating integral power supply modules for logic and
loop power shall have redundant modules, such that failure of a single
module does not disable the detection system.

5.3.5

Each control module shall have two single-pole, double-throw (SPDT)

relays to provide critical and warning alarm outputs, and one SPDT fault
relay.
5.3.5.1

Minimum relay contact rating shall be 0.5 A at 120/230 VAC,

non-inductive.

5.3.5.2

The critical (high-high) alarm shall de-energize to alarm and be

latching. A manual reset pushbutton shall be provided on the
module to reset the alarm after the gas concentration falls
below setpoint. The setpoint shall be adjustable. The vendor
shall set the critical alarm setpoint to the value specified on
Form 8020-514-ENG.

5.3.5.3

The warning (high) alarm shall de-energize to alarm and shall be

latching or non-latching as specified on Form 8020-514-ENG.
A latching alarm shall be reset by the same pushbutton described
in Paragraph 5.3.5.2. The setpoint shall be adjustable.
The vendor shall set the warning alarm setpoint to the value
specified on Form 8020-514-ENG.

5.3.5.4

The fault alarm shall be normally energized and shall

deenergize to alarm. This alarm shall indicate sensor,
transmitter, control unit, or wiring faults or power failure.

5.3.6

An analog or digital indication of concentration, in percent LEL for

combustible gas, or in parts-per-million (ppm) for hydrogen sulfide, shall
be provided on each module.

5.3.7

Indicating lamps, preferably LEDs, shall be provided on the front of each

control module for power, high-high alarm, high alarm and fault indication.

Performance Tests
6.1

Accuracy
6.1.1

The minimum accuracy for combustible gas monitors shall be 3% of

full-scale gas concentration or 10% of the applied test gas

Page 8 of 10

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation

Issue Date: 26 December 2013
Next Planned Update: 26 December 2018

34-SAMSS-514
Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

concentration, whichever is greater.

6.1.2

6.2

The minimum accuracy for hydrogen sulfide monitors shall be 2 ppm

concentration or 10% of the applied test gas concentration, whichever
is greater.

Type Testing
6.2.1

The vendor shall provide a third party (UL, FM, or CSA or other Saudi
Aramco approved agencies) certificate of full compliance to ANSI/ISA60079-29-1 (12.13.01)-2013 for all combustible gas monitor specified on
Form 8020-514-ENG. This requirement is applicable to both catalytic
bead and point IR.

6.2.2

The vendor shall provide a third party (UL, FM, or CSA or other Saudi
Aramco approved agencies) certificate of full compliance to
ANSI/ISA-92.00.01-2010 for all hydrogen sulfide monitor specified on
Form 8020-514-ENG.

6.2.3

The vendor shall provide a third party (UL, FM, or CSA or other Saudi
Aramco approved agencies) certificate of full compliance to ANSI/ISA12.13.04 for all infrared open path combustible gas monitor specified on
Form 8020-514-ENG.

Other Miscellaneous Requirements

7.1

7.2

Marking
7.1.1

Combustible gas monitoring instruments shall be marked by the vendor

in accordance with ANSI/ISA-60079-29-1 (12.13.01)-2013, Section 4.3,
Labeling and Marking.

7.1.2

Hydrogen sulfide monitoring instruments shall be marked by the vendor

in accordance with ANSI/ISA-92.00.01-2010, Section 4.12, Labeling
and Marking.

7.1.3

Open path combustible gas monitors shall be marked by the vendor in

accordance with ANSI/ISA-12.13.04-2007, Section 3.2, Markings.

Installation, Operation and Maintenance

7.2.1

The vendor shall provide the applicable instructions and data listed in
ANSI/ISA-60079-29-1 (12.13.01)-2013, Section 4.4, Instruction
Manual, for combustible gas monitoring instruments.

Page 9 of 10

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation

Issue Date: 26 December 2013
Next Planned Update: 26 December 2018

7.3

34-SAMSS-514
Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors

7.2.2

The vendor shall provide the applicable instructions and data listed in
ANSI/ISA-92.00.01-2010, Section 4.13, Instruction Manual, for
hydrogen sulfide monitoring instruments.

7.2.3

The vendor shall provide the applicable installation and operation manual
listed in ANSI/ISA-12.13.04-2007, Section 3.3, Manufacturers
Installation and Operation Manual for open path combustible gas
monitors.

Inspection
Items manufactured to this specification for combustible gas and hydrogen
sulfide monitors are subject to the minimum Inspection requirements as
specified in Saudi Aramco Inspection Requirements Form 175-344900.

7.4

Nonmaterial Requirements
The supplier shall provide nonmaterial items as shown on Form NMR-7930.

26 December 2013

Revision Summary
Major revision updating the next revision date and clarification to some references based
on recent ISA updates.

Page 10 of 10