Nova Analytical Systems: #96 - Pictures of Extreme Cold Weather Analyzer Package

Outside Nova facility after
Dec 27, 2012 snowfall.

Last night’s snow storm that hit the North-Eastern US / Toronto / Niagara regions reminds me of our ‘extreme cold weather package’.

Gas analyzers and many other scientific instruments usually do not like the cold. If a gas sample has condensable moisture in it, there is a possibility of ice build-up in the wetted sample train. The electronics, valves, and detectors all prefer to function at approximately room-temperature or slightly higher.

Periodically, we have had requests from companies who are operating outdoors in the cold northern areas of North America and Europe. To cope with this reality, we came up with our Cold Weather Package a few years ago. The package includes a durable outdoor cabinet with a windowed door, cabinet insulation, and internal heaters. We generally specify this design for outdoor temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F). We recommend that the analyzer be sheltered from the wind and sun. This will help stabilize the cabinet temperature and reduce temperature swings.

Every once in a while, we have customers who want to operate in even colder temperatures. We meet these requests by installing our ‘Extreme Cold Weather Package’. This package also has an outdoor cabinet, insulation, and heaters. We just add more of everything. The cabinet door is modified to replace the large window with a smaller window and insulation. We generally specify this design for outdoor temperatures as low as -32°C (-25°F). However, we have seen some of these packages installed on sites as low as -40°C (-40°F). We’re not sure how well these units are working. For some reason, no one ever wants to go outside and check on them when it gets that cold!

One thing that is really important on cold sites is heat-traced tubing. The input sample line, vent line, and drain lines should all be heat-traced to prevent ice build-up. Obviously, ice build-up in the lines will cause low flow conditions and other problems.

Pictured below is a cold weather unit that we sent recently to a Canadian site in Terrebonne, Quebec.