Scientific*gear » Thermal

press release; Scientific*gear to Exhibit at Pittcon 2009

Dan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:25:24 +0000

Press Contact:

Amber allman

463 Communications for Scientific*gear

202-463-0013 x203

Scientific*gear to Exhibit at PittCon 2009

Leading Provider of Laboratory Instruments in Booth 1216

March 3, 2009. Chicago, IL. Scientific*gear announced today that they will exhibit at Pittcon Conference & Expo 2009 at Chicago, Illinois’ McCormick Place. Pittcon is a diverse and exciting showcase of the latest products and services available in analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy, which are applicable to a very broad spectrum of areas, such as bioanalytical chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, nanotechnology, environmental, forensic and food analysis, homeland security, and many others.

Scientific*gear will exhibit with Kyoto Electronics Manufacturing Company, Ltd. (KEM) to showcase the partnership between KEM and Scientific*gear, one of the manufacturer’s award-winning distributors based in North America.

“KEM has always been impressed with the commitment Scientific*gear gives to our products. Increasingly, we are seeing the benefits of Scientific*gear’s customer service which includes true industry knowledge, a desire to solve customers’ challenges, unwavering follow through and information sharing and education of products that is not seen elsewhere,” said Gaku Nomura of KEM.

Scientific*gear specializes in titration, moisture and surface analysis instruments. Instruments being shown at Pittcon 2009 include Kyoto Electronics Mfg’s (KEM) MKC610 coulometric Karl Fisher and MKA610 volumetric Karl Fisher Titrator, Surface Electro Optic’s (SEO) Contact angle analyzer and CSC Scientific’s Interfacial Tensiometer and Aquapal III. This full range of titration, moisture and surface testing equipment provides operators with a selection of choices for conducting quality control and production testing.

Please visit Scientific*gear at booth 1216 during Pittcon 2009 for a personal demo.

For more information on Scientific Gear, please visit HYPERLINK “http://www.scientificgear.com” www.scientificgear.com.

You can also read articles, view demonstration videos, and listen to podcast interviews on a variety of topics and applications at HYPERLINK “http://blog.scientificgear.com” http://blog.scientificgear.com.

WBGT Index; ISO 7243:1989, Hot environments – Estimation of the heat stress on working man

Dan — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:18:56 +0000

I found this book on Amazon (see link below). It’s a paperback book titiled “Hot environments – Estimation of the heat stress on working man, based on the WBGT index”. I picked up a copy myself and found it as a good source of information.

Link opens in new window
http://www.amazon.com/ISO-7243-environments-Estimation-temperature/dp/B000Y2TE2O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233762202&sr=1-3

WBGT; Australian Open organisers defend heat policy

Dan — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:14:43 +0000

The organisers, players, and fans all have an opinion. While fair competition is important everyone should agree that safety should be made priority. As weather conditions change so does the need for monitoring them so that safety concerns can be addressed. Yes, these athletes train in similar conditions and generally are more fit than most average people. Stil, the drive in these same athletes to win can sometime cloud their own judgement. We have seen many instances of marathon runners, football players and other outside related sporting events where athletes have died as a result of heat stoke. Sometimes we hear about them, sometimes we don’t. When we do hear about them there is always a feeling of shock and sadness. “How could this happen?” Well it does.

I think the Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley had some good insight and suggestions in his interview in “The ROAR your sports opinion” http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/01/29/australian-open-organisers-defend-heat-policy/#comment-112121

Extreme Heat Policy
The Australian Open Extreme Heat Policy (EHP) will be applied at the Referee’s discretion and may be altered at any time.

At the Referee’s discretion, when the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature only (WBGT) is equal to or above the pre determined threshold, the Referee may suspend the commencement of any further matches on outside courts.

Any matches currently in progress will continue until the end of the current set. At the completion of the set, play will be suspended.

Where play in any match commences outdoors (or with a roof open) and the WBGT temperature is equal to or exceeds the pre determined threshold, the match will continue until the completion of the set. At the end of the set a decision may be made by the Referee to close the roof for the remainder of the match and the following matches, when the EHP is still in effect.

A roof will only be closed because of extreme heat if a decision has been made by the Referee to suspend the completion or commencement of matches on the outdoor courts.

Supplement for women’s singles and junior singles only; to allow a 10 minute break between the second and third sets when a WBGT reading of 28 has been recorded prior to the calling of the match by Tournament Control. Readings are continually made throughout the day.

The 10 minute break will not apply between the second and third sets, if play had previously been suspended after the first set due to the EHP.

WBGT affecting the Australian Open outcome?

Dan — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:37:37 +0000

January 28, 2009; Svetlana Kuznetsova playing in the Australian Open against Serena Williams became upset when officials decided to close the roof after the first set. Officials determined it was necessary to reduce the heat conditions by eliminating the effect of direct sunlight (one of the factors used to determine the WBGT index reading) or “solar load” on the tennis court. During the first set Williams struggled in the excessive heat against Kuznetsova and Kuznetsova felt that the time it took to close the roof allowed Serena to recover from the blistering heat.

This was also covered in the Sporting News: http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/view/16840/aussie_open_continues_hot_streak

WBGT (wet bulb globe thermometer) and the Marines

Mark — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:13:56 +0000

The US military has been using the WBGT to determine appropriate activity levels in hot weather conditions for decades. The system, which uses different color flags to indicate the conditions, was developed by the Marines in the 1950s. The table below has the breakdown for each flag color.

FLAG COLOR/WBGT Index:

Green/80-84.9

Yellow/85-87.9

Red/88-89.9

Black/>90

Each level has guidelines for water intake and physical activity level for acclimated and un-acclimated individuals.

Wet Bulb Glob Thermometer (WBGT) and the new Washington State law

Mark — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:05:50 +0000

On July 5th, a new workplace rule designed to protect workers from outdoor heat exposure will take effect in Washington State. This rule was passed on June 4 after six public hearings were conducted on heat stress and its causes. The hearings confirmed what officials already knew: working outside in hot weather is a health hazard. Over the past three years, 3 workers have died in Washington due to heat-related illness, and over 250 more have filed worker’s compensation claims for injuries directly resulting from heat-related illness in the past ten years. Washington officials hope that this law will decrease those statistics at a minimal cost to employers. The three requirements for employers with employees who work outside are to:

· Train employees and supervisors to recognize heat-related illness and what to do if someone has symptoms.

· On days when temperatures require preventive measures, increase the volume of water available to employees.

· Have the ability to appropriately respond to any employee with symptoms of illness.

The Wet Bulb Globe Thermometer (WBGT) is a tool perfectly suited to helping Washington State employers comply with this new law. This hand-held tool is used to estimate the effect of temperature, humidity, and solar radiation on humans and determine appropriate exposure levels to high temperatures. A WBGT index is commonly used as a guide for environmental heat stress to prevent heat stroke during physical exercise or while at work. Based on the index shown, employers can estimate the probability that a heat-related illness with occur and provide the appropriate amount of water available for the current weather conditions. For a video demonstrating the use of the WBGT, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88enpqgw1wg

For more information on the new Washington State law, go to: http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/topics/atoz/heatstress/default.asp

WBGT and what does it stand for?

Hank Levi — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:51:44 +0000

While we generally tell people it stands for Wet Bulb Globe Temperature…it seems that explanation falls short. A more complete answer involves understanding how this all started with the US military utilizing several methods to evaluate the “real” heat conditions they were training/working/fighting in. It involved factoring in the conditions that make us feel hot…like, direct sunlight, or no direct sunlight, air movement/wind, and humidity. With some crude tools some evaluation of each of these factors separately was taken into account. By applying some mathematical relationships between the data they were able to build a consolidated reading that is known today as a wet bulb temperature. I found this definition in wikipedia and thought it was pretty good at explaining the mathematical relationships I mentioned above.

[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is a composite temperature used to estimate the effect of temperature, humidity, and solar radiation on humans. It is used by industrial hygienists, athletes, and the military to determine appropriate exposure levels to high temperatures. It is derived from the following formula:

WBGT = 0.7Tw + 0.2Tg + 0.1Td

Where

* Tw= Natural wet-bulb temperature (humidity indicator)

* Tg=Globe thermometer temperature (measured with a globe thermometer, also known as a black globe thermometer, to measure solar radiation)

* Td=Dry-bulb temperature (normal air temperature)

* Temperatures may be in either Celsius or Fahrenheit

Indoors, or when solar radiation is negligible, the following formula is used:

WBGT = 0.7Tw + 0.3Tg

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists publishes threshold limit values (TLVs) that have been adopted by many governments for use in the workplace. The process for determining the WBGT is also described in ISO 7243, Hot Environments – Estimation of the Heat Stress on Working Man, Based on the WBGT Index.

In hot areas, some US military installations display a flag to indicate the heat category based on the WBGT. The military publishes guidelines for water intake and physical activity level for acclimated and unacclimated individuals in different uniforms based on the heat category.

Category WBGT °F Flag color

1 <=79.9 No flag

2 80-84.9 Green

3 85-87.9 Yellow

4 88-89.9 Red

5 =>90 Black

The WBGT index was developed by the United States Marine Corps at Parris Island in 1956 to reduce heat stress injuries in recruits and has been revised several times.

The heat index used by the National Weather Service and the humidex used by the Meteorological Service of Canada are also measures of perceived heat, but they do not account for solar radiation.

References

* Air Force Pamphlet 48-151

* U.S. Army Technical Bulletin Medical 507/Air Force Pamphlet 48-152

* Zunis Foundation background article