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Gas regulator indoors?
Hey everyone. Has anyone ever come across a gas regulator indoors?
This one will soon have an AHU just below it that supplies air to an industrial kitchen. Is it even legitimate to have the regulator in an enclosed space? They work by venting gas to atmosphere – which in a plant room seems like a bad idea. The reason I’m worrying about it is that the Consultant, no stranger to a Spanish practice, says not to worry about it. Are the quantities of gas these things put out so small that it isn’t a problem?
I’ll dig out the Australian Standard, but if anyone has seen this before I’d be grateful for a heads up.
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I really don’t think a regulator should be leaking or venting! It is a diaphragm controlled valve.
I haven’t looked at the standard on it, but assuming the AHU is drawing from an external plenum, and the mechanical space does have some form of venting (otherwise it will get very hot!) I don’t see that it would cause a serious problem. The only thing I might be concerned about would be access to the regulator for maintenance or TAB.
Ben is absolutely correct, the regulator is an enclosed device and there should be no venting from it; the increase in pressure produced by throttling has to be accommodated by the strength of the pipework and the valve casing, but as this should only be the supply pressure as a maximum it is not an issue. The main gas regulator for the incoming supply at Gatwick was in a building next to the roundabout that fed into the North Terminal. This was to protect it from the adverse effects of being exposed to the weather. The main thing to consider other than access for maintenance, is protection from mechanical damage; you wouldn’t want it placed in a thorough fare trafficked by heavy loads for example.
If it is the main gas regulator for the building, these are normally placed at the agreed demarkation between the supply company and the consumers system; hence the Gatwick regulator on the roundabout. But as this is usually supplied by the supply company, this is usually a fait accompli and placed where it is most convenient for them. This regulator will also be placed in a protective housing to limit the effects of the weather. Hope this helps.
Jim