2026 ONYX LN2 Gas Delivery Monitoring Report

I. Scope of Monitoring

This report concerns the monitoring of Gaseous Nitrogen (GN2) supplied to the laboratory infrastructure. While the bulk tank also serves a liquid dewar-filling station for researchers, that liquid usage is excluded from this specific metering circuit.

Hardware Stack:

Thermal Instrument 9500P: Measures mass flow of vaporized gas exiting the heat exchanger.
Monarch Track-It™ Logger: Captures time-series data via the 4-20mA loop.
Current Flow (Baseline): ~350 SCFH (Standard Cubic Feet per Hour).

2026 Initialization Status:

Gas Totalizer: Successfully zeroed at 3:30 PM on 12/31/2025 via internal board reset (SW4).
Logger Schedule: Configured for a "Hard Start" at 11:59 PM, 12/31/2025.

II. The "March 31" Data Retrieval Deadline

Because the Monarch Logger has been set to a granular 120-second (2-minute) sample interval to ensure high-fidelity records of lab demand, its memory capacity (~64,000 samples) is subject to a strict time limit.

Operational Limit: The internal memory will reach 100% capacity in approximately 88.8 days. If the logger is not manually read and cleared, the recording of 2026 gas consumption will cease.

📅 Add March 31 Retrieval Alert to Calendar

III. Understanding the Audit Logic: Dashboard Analogies

Effective management of gaseous delivery requires an implicit understanding of the "Odometer" vs. the "Dash Cam."

The 9500P Gas Meter

The Odometer: Total Volume Account

The Totalizer on the 9500P faceplate is your billing "Ground Truth." Just like a car's odometer, it provides the cumulative total of every cubic foot of gas that has entered the lab line. Because we zeroed this at 3:30 PM today, this value represents the exact gaseous delivery for the 2026 fiscal year. This allows us to reconcile the Bulk Tank Level Drop vs. Known Gas Usage.

The Monarch Track-It

The Dashboard Cam: Operational Behavior

The Logger provides the "footage" of how that gas was used. It records flow rates every 120 seconds. It doesn't just tell you how much was used, but when. This is critical for determining lab demand cycles and detecting leaks. If the Dash Cam shows a steady 150 SCFH flow at 3:00 AM on a Sunday, it is an implicit indicator of a gas leak or a valve left open in a lab, even if the "Odometer" (Totalizer) looks normal.

IV. Vendor-Integrated Auditing Strategy

To keep an eye on the totalizer between the 90-day logger downloads, we propose leveraging the regular LN2 refill schedule. Since the vendor already visits the tank to reset fill readouts, they are perfectly positioned to provide a "Secondary Audit."

Proposed Workflow: Mobile-First Vendor Log

We recommend creating a QR-based reporting tool (using Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, or an Excel-integrated Power App) and placing the QR code near the tank's fill manifold.

Vendor Action: Upon completing the liquid fill, the tech scans the QR code.
Data Entry: The tech enters the current Totalizer value from the 9500P display.
Implicit Audit: This provides a time-stamped "Snapshot" of gas usage that correlates exactly with a liquid refill event.
Cloud Integration:
- Google Forms: Instantly populates a shared spreadsheet for management.
- Microsoft Forms/Outlook: Can trigger an automated email to the lab manager: "Refill Complete: Gas Totalizer at XXXXX."

V. Future Roadmap: Real-Time LoRa Mesh Telemetry

To eliminate the manual "March 31" download requirement, the facility is well-positioned for a DIY LoRa Mesh (Meshtastic) upgrade.

The "Live Data" Concept:

The Node: An ESP32-based LoRa module (e.g., Meshnology) is installed at the tank.
The Bridge: A 4-20mA to Voltage converter (or a 150Ω precision resistor) bridges the 9500P signal to the LoRa ADC pin.
The Mesh: Data "hops" across the campus via low-power 915MHz radio, requiring no Wi-Fi at the tank.
The i-Gate: A central node in the main office receives the signal and pushes it to a live dashboard (Grafana/MQTT).

Benefit: This would transform the "Dash Cam" from a 90-day historical tool into a Real-Time Alert System.