Honeywell Searchline Excel Specifications

Searchline Excel

The Searchline Excel is
the World’s best selling
infrared open path
gas detector

Searchline Excel

Applications include

• Offshore platforms & vessels (FPSO’s)

• Downstream chemical processing plants

• Gas transport and pipelines

• Large storage areas & buildings

• Perimeter detection

Features and Benefits

• Double band pass filters that fully
compensate for all types of fog,
rain and/mist interference

• 100% Solar Immune

• Correct operation under partial
obscuration conditions

• High vibration resilience

• Radially symmetrical and bonded
window heating delivers good low
temperature performance

• Coaxial optics delivers best in class

performance and resilience to partial
obscuration

• Fully temperature compensated

solid state detectors

• Low power consumption in all conditions

• Simple ‘lock on’ alignment tool

• No extra ‘software alignment’ required

• Higher power and more robust design

telescope

• Optional Modbus RS485 multi drop output

• FM hazardous area and performance

approved

The Searchline Excel is the World’s
best selling infrared open path gas
detector with over 25,000 units installed
in challenging applications throughout
industry. From the Arctic Circle to
middle eastern deserts, customers have
repeatedly selected the Searchline Excel
as their preferred choice.

Product Evolution

Honeywell Analytics pioneered the original
design of open path infrared flammable gas
detectors with the introduction of the original
Searchline back in 1987. Since then we
have continued to work in conjunction with
major international oil and gas companies to
fully understand the demanding application
requirements of these systems.

In 1998 we introduced Searchline Excel which
has become the industry standard for open path
gas detection by meeting and exceeding all
customer driven demands.

With continuous improvement and the highest
quality manufacturing and control processes,
Honeywell Analytics Searchline Excel Open
Path flammable gas detector provides best in
class gas detection. Excel is often the chosen
primary flammable gas detector in conjunction
with Searchpoint Optima Plus as complimenting
flammable point detection.

Why open path gas detection?

Open path detectors complement the use of individual
point detectors and offer many significant benefits
including:

• Reliable flammable gas detection, proven in use

• Wider area coverage - most likely to pick up any leak

• Very high speed of response

• Failsafe - no unrevealed failure modes

- no possibility of blocked gas path to detector

• Detector location not as critical

• Indicates size of hazard

• Simple set up and commission

• Replaces multiple point devices

Gas leak missed by point detectors but picked up by Open Path Detector

Pipeline

Point Detectors

Open Path Detector

Searchline Excel

SR SR RSR

The Difference

The patented optical design used in
Searchline Excel has proven itself as the
only solution available that fully addresses
all the challenges of open path flammable
gas detection. Unlike some competitive
devices, it does not try to hide fundamental
design inadequacy with the use of software

Different fog types scatter/absorb differently

Fog type 1

Upscale gas/
false alarm

The solution... double band pass filter

masks that can compromise the unit’s ability
to detect gas. Searchline Excel employs a
patented double band pass filter that fully
compensates for all types of fog
and / or rain, thereby allowing it to continue
to operate accurately and reliably in all
climatic conditions.

Fog type 2

Downscale
gas/fault

R - reference wavelength
S - sample wavelength

Fog type 1

The differential scatter and absorption has
a linear effect with respect to the reference
wavelengths. The output from the reference

Radially symmetrical heating elements
bonded to transmitter and receiver windows.

The unique coaxial design of the optics
also means that Searchline Excel is also
the only open path gas detector that can
operate correctly under partial obscuration
conditions without the possibility of
generating a false alarm.

Non-coaxial instruments potentially suffer
from differential attenuation that can lead to
false alarms.

Fog type 2

R - reference wavelengths
S - sample wavelength

detector is the average between the
reference bands and will be exactly the
same as the sample wavelength.

Searchline Excel was the first
open path gas detector in
the world to have achieved
performance approval by FM.

Products or services that meet FM Approvals’
rigorous testing standards may bear the
FM APPROVED mark, a visual symbol of excellence
that is widely recognised and respected. This “Mark
of Excellence” tells customers that a company’s
product conforms to the highest standards and will
continue to meet those standards.

Additional FM tests

With its patented double band pass filter and unique
coaxial optical design, Searchline Excel was the
first open path gas detector that fully addresses the
issues of performance under partial obscuration and
fog/mist conditions. As these elements were not
covered in the FM standard, our optical engineers
worked alongside FM to develop and approve
Searchline Excel to a new set of simulated fog/mist
and partial obscuration tests.