#45 - Portable Hydrogen Purity Analysis for Power Generators

Most power generating plants use hydrogen gas to cool the electrical windings within the turbine generator. This improves operating efficiencies by lowering the losses due to the resistance of the windings. This is commonly known as windage losses.

In order to control these losses and keep efficiencies high, the hydrogen purity must be maintained. Even a slight contamination of the hydrogen by oil vapor, water or air will increase the windage losses in the generator. For example, a 1% reduction in hydrogen purity creates a 12% increase in windage loss. A decrease in purity from 99% to 92% can reduce generator output by as much as 2100 kW. Obviously, this reduction in generator efficiency results in higher fuel costs and power replacement requirements.

The other factor to consider of course is safety. Hydrogen in Air mixtures of less than 74% are explosive, so the Nova 380K helps ensure that the impurity level never drops to this point.

The Nova Model 380K Tri-gas analyzer is designed specifically for monitoring hydrogen purity in the hydrogen feed to a power generator and to monitor the purging procedure during generator shut down.

The analyzer can measure the following gases by switch selection:

• Range 1: 0-100% Hydrogen in Air
• Range 2: 0-100% Hydrogen in CO2
• Range 3: 0-100% Air in CO2

The Model 380K contains an oil vapor absorbing filter, thermal conductivity cell, digital readout, range switch, gas pressure regulator, built in sample pump and flow indicator.

Model 380 in our on-line catalog...

We make gas analyzers for oxygen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, and many other atmospheric gases. We provide gas analysers for syngas, landfill gas, purity gas, biogas, and others.

Give Mike or Dave at Nova a call, or send us an e-mail.
1-800-295-3771
sales at nova-gas dot com
websales at nova-gas dot com
http://www.nova-gas.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/NOVAGAS

If you have a LinkedIn account, search for Nova Analytical Systems under Companies and follow us if you want.

#44 - Plans for growth – Part 4

Last time on Plans for Growth, we were introduced to the Nova 400 Series process analyzer. Through a series of misapplications, it was sentenced to a life of hard labor in a landfill. And now, the thrilling conclusion.

Over the years there were many features & improvements added to Nova process methane analyzers to enable them to survive in a landfill gas application and make accurate measurements.

Some improvements included:

• conversion to stainless steel tubing in place of flexible polymer tubing
• positive pressure system added to cabinet to keep out ambient H2S, thus minimizing the corrosive effects on electronics & sensors
• un-heated detectors & sensors were changed to heated & temperature controlled
• sealed infrared detectors were replaced by modular, cleanable detectors
• thermo-electric chillers were replaced by alternate systems that do not require air, cool water, or replaceable cooling elements
• vacuum gauge & valve were added to minimize flow effects from sample point
• three distinct methods of calibration were developed – manual, one-touch & full auto
• outdoor weather packages were developed to allow analyzer operation in very cold temperatures
• basic CH4 / O2 / CO2 measurements were expanded to offer optional H2S & BTU
• data options grew from analog only to include RS-232, RS-485, MODBUS & Ethernet
• isolated 4-20mA outputs went from optional to standard
• low flow alarm went from optional to standard

By this time, we had noted that there was a growing disconnect between the regular process 470 analyzers and the modified-for-landfill versions. This lead to customer confusion when ordering correct equipment. So we re-numbered the modified 470 / 4170 Series as the 900 Series. And after additional improvements, we recently renumbered the 900 Series to the 910 Series.

The 470 / 4170 models are available today for clean, friendly, non-corrosive process applications only. Current 470 / 4170 analyzers are absolutely unsuitable for landfill gas and biogas applications. Were you to put a current process version into a landfill application, we doubt it would survive long.

However, if you have a Landfill gas or Bio Gas application, we readily recommend our 910 Series as our current offering. It is attractively configured, competitively priced, and based on several years of continuous improvement.

I guess all of this was essentially a reactive development because feedback from the field and the realities of the application prompted changes in the equipment. But it was partly proactive because once we learned something about the application and market we took additional steps for future growth.

So that’s the basic growth story of our landfill / biogas analyzer product line. This also concludes our long-winded and multi-part post regarding plans for growth. We narrowly missed having too many sequels and prequels like a bloated movie franchise.

If your next project involves landfill or biogas analysis, we invite you to speak to Mike or Dave at Nova.

1-800-295-3771

sales at nova-gas dot com
websales at nova-gas dot com
http://www.nova-gas.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/NOVAGAS

If you have a LinkedIn account, search for Nova Analytical Systems under Companies and follow us if you want.

#43 - Monitoring Oxygen and Carbon Monoxide for Maximum Boiler and Furnace Efficiency

Most fuel engineers know that low excess air firing on a boiler or furnace is far more efficient than the high excess air firing normally recommended by manufacturers of these processes. The high excess air is to ensure against stack smoking due to burner air and fuel distribution tolerances and changing weather conditions, etc. Because of this, many plants are operating with far more excess air than is required to burn the fuel, resulting in wasted energy and fuel dollars. In addition, high excess air can result in boiler tube and radiant tube failures.

Maximum fuel savings is achieved by reducing this excess air and the proportionate volume of flue gases going out the stack by increasing the CO content to about 120 PPM. This will result in a corresponding oxygen reading anywhere from about 0.6% O2 to 7% O2 depending on fuel used, burner condition and firing rate.

When operating the burners with the overall CO level between 100 and 200 PPM, there is also a significant reduction in emissions. The opacity will usually be less than 3%. NO levels can be reduced from 350 PPM at 20% excess air to 275 PPM at 3% excess air. SO3 reduction is directly proportional to excess air and can be reduced from 40 PPM to 6 PPM when reducing excess air from 20% to 3%.

The NOVA Model 360K and 360TK Portable Combustion Analyzers have been designed to detect and digitally display flue gas oxygen and CO. In addition, a high range switch on CO allows the operator to continue to observe high CO levels that may have over ranged the 0-2000 PPM low range scale.

In the 'T' versions, a special thermocouple probe and separate temperature readout are supplied to quickly determine combustion efficiency from a graph supplied in the operator’s manual. This can also be accomplished with any model with the use of a separate stack thermometer.

Model 360 brochure…

We make gas analyzers for oxygen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, and many other atmospheric gases. We provide gas analysers for syngas, landfill gas, purity gas, biogas, and others.

Give Mike or Dave at Nova a call, or send us an e-mail.
1-800-295-3771
sales at nova-gas dot com
websales at nova-gas dot com
http://www.nova-gas.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/NOVAGAS
If you have a LinkedIn account, search for Nova Analytical Systems under Companies and follow us if you want.

#42 - Floating Cities and Ambient Air Analysis

The debate over anthropogenic global warming does not seem to be cooling off. There are many opinions offered from both sides. There are also many credibility accusations made from both sides.

Couple of general thoughts:

• Polar ice melting may or may not be a cyclical event that occurs naturally due to cyclical climate changes. However, I would be really surprised if noticeable changes of this kind have historically happened in less than 100yrs.
• The ice ‘system’ on earth is really big. Getting to move in a particular direction in such a short time would require a sizable push. A big part of the key would be to prove a large portion the ice is really melting, and where this ‘push’ came from.
• It is standard practice for big industry to downplay environmental impacts & effects.
• Downplaying global warming would definitely serve the interests of many combustion- and petroleum-based industries. Many thinking people are therefore very wary of popular industry-influenced efforts to down-play or deny anthropogenic warming effects.

Anyway, if all of the forecasts about ice melting and ocean levels rising are true, that brings up inevitable questions about where all of the water-displaced people are going to live. The fine folks at eVolo have encouraged their contributors to think about this issue as a starting point for some novel architectural designs. Similar designs have emerged from other sources also. Even Thomas Dolby is interested in floating cities.

Nova does not have any capability in architectural design; especially underwater structures. However, as environmental issues have come to the forefront in many countries, we have noticed a high level of interest in portable ambient air monitoring. The analytical performance of portable instruments is less than one would expect from larger continuous systems. However, the performance of portable instruments is frequently adequate for establishing site baselines and evaluation of known atmosphere constituents in the ppm (parts per million) range.

The Nova 600 Series Portable Multi-gas Ambient Air analyzers are intended for analysis of a few specific gases in ambient air. The original intent of these analyzers was to monitor the safety of breathable air. The analysis ranges in this series generally reflect the levels associated with permissible exposure limits (PEL) in occupational environments. However, as mentioned above, we have seen an increasing number of environmental applications of this product line.

The gases and ranges available in this analyzer series are:

• Oxygen (O2): 0-25.0%
• Carbon Monoxide (CO): 0-200ppm
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2): 0-5000ppm
• Nitrogen Oxide (NO): 0-100ppm
• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2): 0-20ppm
• Relative Humidity & Temp: 0-100% RH / -40°C to +40°C
• LEL Combustibles: 0-100% (as CH4 usually)
• Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S): 0-20ppm
• Sulfur Dioxide (SO2): 0-20ppm
• Chlorine (Cl2): 0-20ppm
• Ammonia (NH3): 0-20ppm
• Hydrogen Chloride (HCL): 0-20ppm

 

Nova 600 Series in Nova on-line catalogue... (Some of the specs and features have been modified since the website went live, but the catalog covers the basic idea.)

We can usually do up to four gases in one analyzer. This depends on the gas mixtures and levels expected in the sample. If you are interested in this type of gas analysis, give Mike or Dave at Nova a call, or send us an e-mail.

1-800-295-3771
sales at nova-gas dot com
websales at nova-gas dot com
http://www.nova-gas.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/NOVAGAS
If you have a LinkedIn account, search for us under Companies and follow us if you want.

Ice melting pics:
Top right – Upsala Glacier photo copyright Archivo Museo Salesiano / Green Peace
Bottom right - Upsala Glacier photo copyright Green Peace / Beltra
Top left – Muir Glacier photo by William Field
Bottom left – Muir Glacier photo by Bruce Molnia
http://www.whiteearth.org/WhiteEarthScience.html

Floating city pics:
Left Side
Water-Scraper: Underwater Architecture
http://www.evolo.us/competition/water-scraper-underwater-architecture/
Right Side (from top)
Wetropolis: Towards a Post Diluvian Future
http://spluspba.weebly.com/a-post-diluvian-future.html
Lilypad, A Floating Ecopolis For Climate Refugees - Vincent Callebaut Architectures
(http://vincent.callebaut.org/page1-img-lilypad.html)
Gyre-Seascraper
http://zigloo.ca/gyre-seascraper/
Underwater Architecture – Taiwan Skyscraper
http://www.evolo.us/architecture/underwater-architecture-taiwan-skyscraper/


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