HANOVER, NH — (Marketwire) — 08/03/11 — Today, ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY INC., the global leader in transformer insulation products and services, announced that its subsidiary, DIAGNOSTIC SOLUTIONS INC., has completed a five-year supply agreement with H2scan Corporation, designer and manufacturer of the most accurate, tolerant, and affordable hydrogen leak detection and process gas monitoring solutions for industrial markets. Under the agreement, will sell a low-priced, stand-alone hydrogen sensing system produced by H2scan for measuring hydrogen in the oil of power transformers. This jointly-designed system will be the first commercially released monitor in the industry that offers real-time measurement of hydrogen online and in direct contact with the oil of the transformer. Hydrogen gas is generated in a wide temperature range making it an ideal indicator of thermal fault conditions.
“H2scan–s proven hydrogen sensing expertise and its established product line made them the ideal partner choice to jointly develop this new transformer monitoring solution,” said DIAGNOSTIC SOLUTIONS INC. (USA). “Now we can offer our customers a reliable, continuous, real-time, early warning sensing solution at the right price point, which to date has not been possible. The addition of this product expands our line of InsuLogix® monitoring solutions that are designed to support Smart Grid initiatives and compliments our expanding portfolio of diagnostic services. Coupled with our Progressive Diagnostics, Engineering and Information Services, we now offer a full range of products and services that provide our customers actionable information that can be used to better manage the overall life cycle of their critical electrical assets in a manner that is convenient, easy to understand, and assists in critical decision making.”
The new stand-alone system will debut later this fall once 12 months of continuous testing and validation at several utilities across the U.S. has been completed. This new system will uniquely:
Measure hydrogen concentrations real time either in the oil or the headspace,
Act as an early warning device with alarm and trending capability,
Measure hydrogen over a wide range of temperatures (up to 105º C),
Support a larger hydrogen sensing range (25 parts per million on the lower limit),
Not be affected by other hydrocarbons including carbon monoxide,
Incorporate patented solid state micro-chip technology with no membrane, no mechanical parts, and no consumables.
The easy-to-install system is ideal for retro-fit applications. It will provide one year of data logging and come with a two-year warranty with a minimum 10-year life expectancy. Specifications, pricing, and availability will be announced in early September.
“This design and manufacturing agreement is a milestone for H2scan, partnering us with one of the most well-known companies in the world for transformer insulation design and components. In combination with other recent strategic partnerships, it–s also driving us into a larger manufacturing facility with a designated assembly line just for transformer products,” said . “It is these important partnerships that continue to validate our industry-leading, core hydrogen sensing and measurement technology that today can be found in commercial use in multiple product lines in over 50 countries.”
H2scan was founded in 2002 and has its headquarters, sales, production, and marketing staff in Valencia, California. The Company provides the most accurate, tolerant, and affordable hydrogen leak detection and process gas monitoring solutions for industrial markets enabling accurate monitoring and control functions for a wide range of applications, including control systems, safety monitoring, and alarm systems. H2scan also provides portable, handheld configurations for easy leak detection and monitoring.
H2scan–s hydrogen specific sensing systems based on a patented “Chip on a flex” technology are able to detect and measure hydrogen without false readings or expensive support equipment required. This makes it ideal for the NeSSI platform. H2scan–s process systems have the ability to operate in real-time, with or without the presence of oxygen, no interference from CO or H2S, separating H2scan from all other in-line measuring technologies. The leak detector sensing systems are able to detect hydrogen in air down to 15 ppm concentration without cross-sensitivities to other gases.
The company–s solid-state technology was originated at Sandia National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy and is only available commercially through H2scan. Its products are sold in over 50 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit .
The WICOR Group develops, produces, and distributes high-voltage insulation materials and components as well as sophisticated diagnostics and oil testing services for transformers (Business Area Electrical Technology), and sophisticated injection molded plastics applications for automotive, sensor and water management technology, and medical technology customers (Business Area Plastics Technology).
The WICOR Group is active worldwide in more than 40 locations and employs a staff of 3,600. In 2010, it achieved net sales of 604 MCHF. The headquarters of the WICOR Group is in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland.
WICOR Americas Inc.
Jurg Brunner
President and CEO
80 South Main Street
Hanover, NH 03755
Phone: 603-640-6100
E-mail: