PureAire Monitoring Systems is excited to introduce its new Dual Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide Monitor, an important addition to our full line of Oxygen Deficiency Monitors, Carbon Dioxide Monitors, and Combustible/Toxic Gas Detectors.  Our new Monitor is designed for continuous monitoring of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels  across a wide variety of applications, including cryogenic facilities, breweries, food processing plants, cannabis grow rooms, pharmaceutical manufacturing operations, laboratories, hospitals, and universities.
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Our Dual Monitor can sample O2/CO2 levels from up to 100 feet away and is ideal for facilities that use inert gases, including, but not limited to, nitrogen, helium, and argon. Its NEMA 4X/IP66 dust-tight and water-tight enclosure will protect the Monitor against dust, water, and damage from ice formation.

PureAire’s new Dual O2/CO2 Monitor continually measures oxygen levels from 0-25%, and carbon dioxide levels from 0-50,000 parts per million (ppm), with both O2 and CO2 measurements readily visible on the Monitor’s easy-to-read backlit displays. Depending on our customers’ specific requirements, the Monitor can be linked to a programmable logic controller (PLC), a multi-channel controller, or tied into building systems themselves.

​The new O2/CO2 Monitor features dual built-in LED visual alarms, two alarm level set-points for both O2 and CO2, as well as two relays for each monitored gas. The Monitor responds in seconds to changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, and it will remain accurate over a wide range of temperature and humidity levels.
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PureAire’s Dual Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide Monitor offers thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. Built with durable, non-depleting, zirconium oxide sensor cells, and non-dispersive, infrared (NDIR) sensor cells to ensure longevity, PureAire’s Dual O2/CO2 Monitor can last, trouble-free, for 10+ years in normal working conditions.

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite into space, thus ushering in the Space Age. Since then, over 8,000 satellites have been launchedfrom more than 50 countries. According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, at the end of 2021 there were around 5,000 active satellites in orbit.

In addition to all of those satellites, space is currently home to a number of other pieces of equipment, including two space stations, the Hubbell and James WebbSpace Telescopes,as well as robotic equipment, including six motorized robotic vehicles(or rovers) currently on Mars.

Once launched, equipment is expensive to replace and difficult to repair if it gets lost or damaged.  In order to ensure reliability, safety, and that satellites, spacecraft, and related components will operate as intended, nearly all equipment destined for the final frontierundergo intensive testing, prior to launch, in environmentsthat replicate the conditions actually found in space.

Space is a harsh environment, and every component will be subjected to conditions unlike anything found on Earth,including microgravity, extreme hot and cold temperature cycling, ultra-vacuum atmosphere, and high-energy radiation.

Thermal Vacuum Chambers

One key aspect of the testing includes the use of thermal vacuum chambers (TVC) to replicate the ultra-cold temperatures and the airless vacuum of space.  The extreme cold and absence of air pressure in TVCs will help identify flaws or weaknesses in the equipment tested.

Thermal vacuum chambershave been used for a number of years by the aerospace industry. In fact, Thermal Vacuum Chamber A, located at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, was used to test both the Apollo spacecraft before their historic missionsto space and, following upgrades, the James Webb Telescope prior to its launch in 2021.

Once equipment to be tested is placed inside the TVC, the air is evacuated. When the air, and accompanyingair pressure,areremoved, gas trapped in materials is released, and outgassing begins to occur. The released gases, and other impuritiesinside the chamber, will begin to evaporate and may condenseon the equipment,potentially making it less accurate or even unusable.

To reduce the temperature inside the chamber, and to remove lingering gases and impurities from the chamber, TVCs typically utilize cryopumps. These pumps, located at the bottom of the chambersuse cryogenic gases, such as liquid nitrogen (LN2) or helium (He), to super-chill the air and the surfaces of the cryopump tobetween -208 Celsius and -261 Celsius.  As the air in the chamber passes over the surfaces, gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, helium, and hydrogen instantly freeze to the surfaces of the cryopump and are, effectively, removed from the chamber.

Oxygen Deprivation Risks When Using Cryogenic Gases

Clearly, liquid nitrogen and helium play a vital role in the development and testing of equipment used in space exploration. However, there are risks associated with use of LN2 and He. Liquid nitrogen and helium are oxygen-depleting gases that are both odorless and colorless. As such, absent appropriate gas monitoring equipment, personnel working near thermal vacuum chambers would likely be unable to detect LN2 or He leaks, and an accompanying decrease in oxygen.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an environment in which oxygen levels fall below 19.5 percent is considered an oxygen-deficient atmosphere and should be treated as immediately dangerous to health or life. When there is not enough oxygen in the air, persons working in the affected area may become disoriented, lose consciousness, or even suffocate due to the lack of sufficient oxygen.
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PureAire Oxygen Monitors

PureAire Monitoring Systems’ Oxygen Deficiency Monitor offers thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. Best practice calls for oxygen monitors to be installed anywhere there is a risk of gas leaks—i.e., wherever cryogenic gases, including liquid nitrogenand helium, are stored, and in all locations where these gases are used.

A screen displays current oxygen levels, for at-a-glance reading by employees, who derive peace of mind from the Monitor’s presence and reliable performance.
Built with zirconium oxide sensor cells, to ensure longevity, the Monitor can last, trouble-free, for 10+ years in normal working conditions.

In the event of a liquid nitrogen or helium gas leak,where oxygen decreases to unsafe levels, PureAire’s Monitor will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting personnel to take corrective action.
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For over 20 years, PureAire Monitoring Systems has been an industry leader in manufacturing long-lasting, accurate, and reliable Oxygen Deficiency Monitors. We have dedicated ourselves to ensuring the safety and satisfaction of our clients, many of which have very sophisticated operating requirements. We are proud to note that NASA’s SOFIA-Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy–a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a 2.7 meter (106 inch) reflecting telescope–carries onboard a PureAire Oxygen Deficiency Monitor.

MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of a very large magnet, radio waves, and a computer to produce detailed, cross-sectional, and three-dimensional images of organs and structures within the body.
An MRI scan is a valuable diagnostic tool that can show injuries or other anomalies that cannot be seen in a CT scan or X-ray.  For instance, soft tissue injuries, such as, strains, sprains, contusions, tendonitis, and bursitis can all be observed via MRI.
Moreover, according to the Mayo Clinic, MRI can also be used to diagnose a variety of brain-related and nervous system disorders, including strokes, aneurysms, multiple sclerosis, eye and inner ear problems, and spinal cord injuries. MRI is widely used in research on brain structures and functions.
How MRI Works
MRI scanning machines vary in size, shape, and degree of openness but the typical MRI machine resembles a tube (encompassing a very large magnet) with a table in the middle, which enables the patient to lie down and slide into the magnetic field created inside the machine. The magnet itself is comprised of multiple coils of connective wire through which a current is passed to generate a magnetic field. To achieve the high field strengths required for most clinical needs, the magnet is cooled with liquid helium to -452 degrees Fahrenheit (-270 Celsius). The super cold temperature applied to the magnet provides for “superconductivity”, meaning that current can pass through the magnet’s coils without electrical resistance, producing the type of strong magnetic field necessary to produce detailed images.
To ensure accurate imaging, and to preserve the integrity of the MRI scanning machine, the liquid helium must be kept extremely cold when the scanner is in operation. If the temperature of the liquid helium were to rise above the very cold levels required for superconductivity, the helium might vaporize and, with the dissipation of the liquid helium’s super-cooling properties,  the machine’s magnet could overheat, potentially causing irreparable damage to the MRI machine.
Oxygen Monitors Can Detect Helium Leaks
Helium is an odorless, colorless, oxygen-depleting gas that can rapidly displace oxygen in the air to levels below what is needed for humans to breathe. Excess exposure to helium can cause dizziness, nausea, and loss of consciousness, and could even result in death within seconds of exposure. Because liquid helium is devoid of color and odor, MRI personnel would, absent appropriate oxygen monitoring, likely be unaware that a potentially dangerous helium leak has occurred. As such, the National Institutes of Health’s Design Requirements Manual recommends that oxygen monitors be installed in MRI treatment areas.
Proper oxygen monitoring equipment should be placed in MRI rooms, as well as in storage rooms, and in any other site where helium gas may accumulate. The monitoring equipment should include visual and audible alarms that would be activated in the event of helium leaks and a decrease in oxygen levels.

PureAire Oxygen Deficiency Monitors
PureAire Monitoring Systems’ Sample Draw Oxygen Deficiency Monitor continuously tracks levels of oxygen and will detect helium leaks before MRI machines are damaged and the health of employees and patients is put at risk.​

The Monitor’s built-in pump samples oxygen from up to 100 feet away, making it ideal for use in MRI facilities, because the metal components within the Monitor are outside the imaging area and, therefore, will not interfere with the magnets that are the heart of MRI scanning machines.
PureAire’s durable, non-depleting, zirconium oxide sensor can last 10+ years in a normal environment, without needing to be replaced.
In the event of a helium gas leak, and a decrease in oxygen to an unsafe, OSHA action level, the Sample Draw Oxygen Monitor will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting staff and patients to evacuate the area. Additionally, the same alarm will alert personnel to turn off the MRI scanner in order to prevent the magnet overheating that could result in possible damage to the machine.
PureAire’s Sample Draw Oxygen Deficiency Monitor has an easy to read screen, which displays current oxygen levels, for at-a-glance observation by MRI employees, who derive peace of mind from the Monitor’s presence and reliability.

Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe and used across a variety of industries. Valued for more than simply filling party balloons, helium is of critical importance in many commercial applications, including high-tech, automotive, healthcare, and aerospace.

Helium Uses
For instance, the manufacture of fiber optics requires an all-helium environment to prevent air bubbles or other flaws in the delicate fibers used in cables to transmit data. Additionally, the semiconductor industry utilizes the cooling properties of helium to transfer heat away from computer chips during manufacturing.
Helium plays a key role in inflating automobile airbags and may also be used to detect leaks in car air-conditioning systems. Metal fabricators use helium for welding because of its inert properties and high heat transfer capabilities, which make it the perfect shielding gas (an inert or semi-inert gas that protects the weld from oxygen and water) for welding materials with high heat conductivity, such as copper, magnesium alloys, and aluminum.
In the medical field, helium is used to cool the superconducting magnets in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) equipment, to treat medical conditions such as asthma and emphysema, and for laparoscopic surgery.
NASA uses helium as an inert purge gas for hydrogen systems and as a pressurizing agent for ground and flight fluid systems, as well as a cryogenic agent for cooling various materials. Moreover, as in the automotive sector, helium is likewise used in precision welding applications in aerospace manufacturing.

Staying Safe While Working with Helium
Since helium is odorless and colorless, it has no early warning properties. Helium can displace oxygen in the air to levels below what is needed for humans to breathe. Exposure to helium can cause dizziness, nausea, and loss of consciousness. Absent proper oxygen monitoring, unconsciousness, and even death may occur in seconds. The National Institutes for Health recommends installing oxygen monitors anywhere compressed gases, such as helium, are stored or used.

​PureAire Monitors
PureAire Monitoring Systems’ oxygen deficiency monitors continuously track levels of oxygen and will detect helium leaks before the health of employees is put at risk. Built with zirconium oxide sensor cells, to ensure longevity, PureAire’s O2 deficiency monitors can last, trouble-free, for over 10 years under normal operating conditions. In the event of a helium gas leak, and a decrease in oxygen to an unsafe, OSHA action level, the monitor will set off an alarm, replete with horns and flashing lights, alerting staff and users to evacuate the area.
Each PureAire O2 monitor has an easy to read screen, which displays current oxygen levels, for at-a-glance readings by employees, who derive peace of mind from the monitor’s presence and reliability.