#100 - 100 Posts

We started this blog about a year & a half ago. Initially, it did not seem possible that there would be enough to talk about to sustain the blog for any length of time. Our company just did not seem exciting enough to write anything about. But here we are at 100 posts later and the ideas are still coming.

It seems that corporate blogging is somewhat of an art. Here are some notes / ideas about blogging that we have noticed in our own experience over the last year:

• Be patient – genuine readership takes a while to build, and is built on content. We haven’t actively sought out ‘followers’ or ‘friended’ anyone. But, we have kept an eye on how many readers we have had. We can also look at web-tracking software to see how many are being directed to our website via the blog. However, we don’t evaluate the blog solely on what it does for our website. The blog is also a standalone document that gets our name and our work out there onto the search engines.
• Be committed to it – post regularly (weekly is good, preferably on the same day and in the mornings) and avoid missing posts; if one person can’t keep up, have a couple people working on it; try to build up a back-log of material to provide flexibility on busy weeks.
• Knowledgeable oversight – the blog writer or manager should have a decent grasp of the company’s operations, area of experience & expertise, and connection to markets.
• Be relevant – the general content should be reasonably relevant to your company’s area of expertise; or at least have some connection to an aspect of your company.
• Have variety - not all content needs to be directly relevant to what your company is actually selling; comment on what is happening in your industry, in your neighborhood(s), to your customers, in your company; and for variety, the occasional post can have nothing to do with your company.
• Be human – blog should be written in an engaging way that is readable by anyone.
• Be observant – some of your posts will attain a higher readership than others; try to figure out why, and allow that information to influence what you write, or even what markets your company targets in the future.
• Have visuals – try to add pictures to go along with your words, visuals add interest, information, and humanity to your blog.
• Send your posts out through a few channels such as LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Careful about over-doing it though. It is our own opinion that slow and steady wins real readers.

Interestingly, here are some Nova blog posts in terms of percentage of reader visits:

#70 - Post #5 is our most popular blog post (Syngas and Gasification) – 7.1 %

http://nova-gas.blogspot.com/2012/08/70-post-5-is-our-most-popular-blog-post.html

#53 - What is CONSTEEL? – 1.6 %

http://nova-gas.blogspot.com/2012/03/53-what-is-consteel.html

#102 - Triple Point Analysis of Biogas at Palm Oil Facility - 1.5%

http://nova-gas.blogspot.ca/2013/02/102-triple-point-analysis-of-biogas-at.html

Recent posts that have gained popularity in the last month or so:

#95 - Multi-Point Conditioning Systems for Mass Spectroscopy in DRI Plants

http://nova-gas.blogspot.ca/2012/12/95-multi-point-conditioning-systems-for.html

#96 - Pictures of Extreme Cold Weather Analyzer Package

http://nova-gas.blogspot.ca/2012/12/96-pictures-of-extreme-cold-weather.html

#123 - Borehole and soil gas analysis

http://nova-gas.blogspot.ca/2013/05/123-borehole-and-soil-gas-analysis.html

Couple things that the above data tells us:

• Steel-making and gasification should be industries that we remain committed to in terms of market, products, support, and contacts.

  

We will keep writing. Hopefully, people will keep visiting.

Best regards,

Dave @ Nova

For information on gas analyzer systems, 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/

https://twitter.com/NOVAGAS

http://www.linkedin.com/company/nova-analytical-systems-inc-

http://www.tenovagroup.com/

#92 - Metamerism – Part 2

Last time, the topic of metamerism as related to the coatings industry was discussed. We don’t really have any issues with metamerism in manufacturing gas analyzers, but the whole idea reminded me of some challenges that we do face in the analysis of atmospheric gases.

Analytical Interference

Various methodologies lend themselves to analysis of different gases. Some methods are more or less specific than others, and there is usually no ‘magic bullet’ sensor/detector for any one gas.

Hydrogen – At Nova, we offer analysis of percent hydrogen by thermalconductivity detector. Hydrogen has a high degree of thermalconductivity, and this property can be used to measure it. However, other gases also have various degrees of thermalconductivity. The presence of several other gases in a mixture can interfere with the effectiveness of a thermalconductivity measurement. For hydrogen applications, we need to know what other gases are in the sample and the low/normal/high levels of each.

Methane & Hydrocarbons – At Nova, we offer infra-red analysis of hydrocarbons. The most common infrared analysis requested of us is methane. If the sample contains methane and enough other mixed hydrocarbons, some of the non-methane constituents will also produce a response on the infra-red detector. This is because many hydrocarbons have similar or overlapping IR spectra.

The methane reading may be compromised to an unknown degree by the non-methane hydrocarbons. For methane applications, we need to know what other gases are in the sample and the low/normal/high levels of each. We may be able to offer a methane-specific detector. In some cases, we may be able to compensate for the problem using certain calibration gas blends. Sometimes we can ignore the whole problem if the effects are not sufficient to be of concern to the end-user.

Electrochemical Sensors – At Nova, we offer analysis of various gases, including oxygen, using an electrochemical sensor. Electrochemical sensors are reactive by nature and are frequently affected by gases other the one of interest. For example, the gases carbon monoxide and hydrogen will often provoke a strong response on the same electrochemical detector. For electrochemical applications, we need to know what other gases are in the sample.

All of this really isn’t metamerism, but the ideas and potential consequences do bear some similarities. When discussing your analytical needs with Nova, we may request that you fill out an Application Questionnaire. This form is intended to assist you to provide us with critical data that may influence the type of equipment that is feasible in your application.

Nova Application Questionnaire
http://www.nova-gas.com/appq.html

For information on these and other gas analyzer systems, 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/
https://twitter.com/NOVAGAS
http://www.linkedin.com/company/nova-analytical-systems-inc-
http://www.tenovagroup.com/

IR Spectrum:

NIST Chemistry WebBook (http://webbook.nist.gov/chemistry); COBLENTZ SOCIETY; Collection (C) 2009 copyright by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on behalf of the United States of America. All rights reserved.

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#85 - Caribbean Applications

A couple of my holiday shots. The pictures shown below are of the Noranda Bauxite Mine in St. Anne, Jamaica.

The last time in Jamaica, I drove by this facility and wondered what it was. I subsequently learned that it is part of a bauxite mine facility. Apparently after tourism, bauxite mining and agriculture are Jamaica’s largest industries. Coincidentally, I recently had a telephone call from the Superintendent of this very facility.

 

Copyright © 2007 – 2009 Noranda Aluminum. All Rights Reserved.

 

They apparently have a few diesel engines operating in individual rooms in the plant. The engine exhaust is obviously vented outside of the building. However, if a leak should develop in the exhaust system, it may result in dangerous accumulations of gases inside the building.

 

For the safety of their staff, they wanted to monitor the following gases:

• Oxygen Deficiency: 0-25%, alarms will sound if the O2 levels drop to 19.5% or lower
• Carbon Monoxide: 0-200ppm
• Nitric Oxide: 0-100ppm
• Sulfur Dioxide: 0-20ppm

These ranges of analysis cover the safe breathing conditions and permissible exposure limits of these gases.

 

To start, they have 3 engine rooms and they want to have some kind of centralized monitoring system. An auto-sequencer will be a good choice here. It is mounted right beside the monitor. This device is basically a series of solenoid valves and pumps which are controlled to pull different samples from different zones in a timed sequence. This will allow one monitor to be used for all three areas.

Eventually, they hope to tie the monitor / sequencer in with a PLC or a data collection system of some kind. But for now, labeled LED lights on the auto-sequencer will show which area is being sampled. And the monitor will show if any alarms are engaged.

 

We sometimes may forget that some of the Caribbean islands have other sustaining industries besides tourism. These regions no doubt struggle with a delicate balance of having profitable industry while preserving the beautiful environments that attract so many travelers.

 

We are occasionally contacted by Caribbean engineers & professionals for emissions analyzers. For example, in Trinidad and Tobago, we have sold continuous and portable flue gas analyzers into the petrochemical and gas process industries there. Legislative initiatives are apparently also moving these islands toward reductions in automotive exhaust emissions. We have also had requests from Curacao for information on emissions analyzers. Cutting back emissions is a good idea anywhere. But in areas that depend so much on pristine environmental beauty, it would seem to be nothing short of mandatory.

 

Nova Analytical Systems

1-800-295-3771

sales at nova-gas dot com

websales at nova-gas dot com

http://www.nova-gas.com/

https://twitter.com/NOVAGAS

http://www.linkedin.com/company/nova-analytical-systems-inc-

http://www.tenovagroup.com/

 

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#79 - Nova Blog on WordPress now too

We are mirroring our blog on WordPress now @ http://novagas.wordpress.com/

 

As a start, we have published the 10 most popular posts.

 

Going forward, new posts will appear on Blogger and on WordPress.

1-800-295-3771

sales at nova-gas dot com

websales at nova-gas dot com

http://www.nova-gas.com/

https://twitter.com/NOVAGAS

http://www.linkedin.com/company/nova-analytical-systems-inc-

http://www.tenovagroup.com/

 

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#70 - Post #5 is our most popular blog post (Syngas and Gasification)

The folks at GEK Gasifiers have a nice introduction to this process.

http://gekgasifier.com/gasification-basics/

This is not a new concept. It has been around for many years. 

Gasification and vehicles have long traveled together.

One great thing about this idea is that is very scalable. You can build a small gasifier out of a soup can. There are also mid-range gasifiers that can be thought of as ‘garage-scale’. And there are large industrial plant-scale gasifiers.

Gasification can serve as an intermediate step between many types of feedstocks and many other production processes as the chart below demonstrates.

Each of the processes mentioned in the chart above require a gas input of a specific makeup. This is why an analyzer system is frequently required between the output of the gasifier plant and the input of the receiving process.

We are frequently approached by manufacturers and educational institutions also. The end-users may be researching and developing a new gasifier design. Or they may be tuning a gasifier system for optimum performance and gas production. Having a reliable gas analyzer to measure oxygen / carbon monoxide / carbon dioxide / hydrogen / methane is an important part of this process.

The Nova 970 Series Syngas and Gasification Analyzers have been specifically designed with this application in mind. The gas that comes out of a gasifier frequently has conditions and constituents that are detrimental to an analytical instrument. Because of this reality, we have produced an instrument that is industrially hardened and user-friendly.

1. Process pipe  2. Probe and Filter  3. 970 Gas Analyzer
4.  Wire Connections available to customer

The materials of construction and the straight-forward layout of this instrument gives us a great deal of confidence in recommending it to our customers. If you have a gasifier and need analysis of your produced gas, think about buying a Nova. We have bench top configurations for temporary or intermittent analysis. We have wall–mount configurations for permanent continuous analysis.

For information on these and other gas analyzer systems, 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://www.tenovagroup.com/

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

Update note Oct 2012 - two other posts have since surpassed Post #5.
#71 - Murdoch Puts Nova in Prison
#53 - What is CONSTEEL?

Update note Nov 2012 - This post about the most widely-read post has itself now become our most widely-read post. I'm sure there's a deep lesson on feedback dynamics somewhere in there. We have certainly seen a great deal of interest in our gasification analyzers.

Update note April 2014 - This post is again back on top as the most widely read post.
Following behind are:
#102 - Triple Point Analysis of Biogas at Palm Oil Facility
#149 - BombGirls Update

Pictures:

4 Processes of Gasification copyright © GEK Gasification
http://gekgasifier.com/gasification-basics/

Black & white picture - origin unknown

Gasifier scales photo from left to right
http://tube.7s-b.com/Prototype+Camp/
http://gekgasifier.com/gek-imbert-gasifier/
http://www.lignite.com/?id=78

Vehicleshttp://www.build-a-gasifier.com/
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/03/new-x-prize-ent/
http://driveonwood.com/forum/228

Chart on chemical processes fed by gasification adapted from The American Energy Security Study (2007), a USA initiative lead by the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB).

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#66 - Delkor – Liquid Handling Experts

Separation of liquids and solids is important for many reasons. Two obvious ones are to extract a wanted or un-wanted solid, or to clarify a liquid (often water). Liquid / solid separation is a key component of waste water treatment plants and ore extraction plants.

Not all solids and liquids separate easily. Particle size, geometry, electrical charge, and other factors may keep the solids uniformly distributed throughout a liquid phase. Various techniques, chemicals, and equipment may be employed to counteract these effects.

Delkor is a diverse solutions-based equipment supply company in the Solid / Liquid Separation field which is grouped under Delkor Technik B.V, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tenova S.p.A
www.tenovagroup.com

Delkor is the leading supplier in the Solid / Liquid Separation field and has built a reputation for the supply of quality engineered products to their client base in the minerals, chemical and industrial markets. Their track record stretches over 35 years and includes more than 3000 installations worldwide.

Delkor services metallurgical, chemical, industrial, fertilizer and municipal solid liquid separation applications from the following global regional offices:

Asia Pacific:
Australia | China

Americas:
Canada | Chile | Brazil | Mexico | Peru

Central Asia, Middle East & North Africa:
India

Europe & CIS:
United Kingdom | Russia

Sub Saharan Africa:
South Africa

If you are interested in liquid / solids separation or any other liquid handling application, contact Delkor for more information about their award-winning products and systems.

For information on gas analyzer systems, 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://www.tenovagroup.com/
http://www.delkorglobal.com/global/en/home.aspx

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

#58 - Shiny object syndrome

At Nova, we’re always looking to show each other how erudite yet how cleverly humorous we are. (Obviously these are short conversations.) We recently articulated a behavior that we call ‘shiny object syndrome’. The term is not yet fully entrenched in the Nova lexicon, but there are some accepted usages in current circulation.

The term generally refers to behavior that is an outward manifestation of ‘disconfirmation bias’. We discussed that in a previous post. There we learned that disconfirmation bias is “the tendency to accept supportive evidence of a belief uncritically, but to actively refute or discount evidence that challenges that belief.” Shiny object syndrome can be thought of as a symptom of disconfirmation bias.

How so? Well, there are a few ways.

1. Sometimes in an effort to discount evidence that challenges our belief, we may allow ourselves, and also encourage our listeners to become unduly distracted and enamored by other unrelated details. We may make a great issue of an otherwise unimportant thing. Those other details are like a ‘shiny object’ that distracts attention from the real issues.
2. Sometimes it’s more serious. Sometimes we are trying to distract others from seeing our own failures. Politicians have perfected the art of deflecting attention from their own questionable activities. But this may happen to a lesser degree in manufacturing environments when the consequences of ill-fated designs need to be minimized to save face. Being ‘penny-wise, pound-foolish’ is often at the root of these situations.
3. We can actually use shiny object syndrome to our advantage when presenting an important proposal to someone with chronic disconfirmation bias disorder. We may distract the sufferer from attempting to refute legitimate evidence by giving them a shiny object to focus on.
4. In sales situations, the figurative shiny object may be used by a salesperson to distract the buyer from asking difficult questions about the item for sale. In some cases, the shiny object is actually the item for sale.

There are probably other manifestations of shiny object syndrome that we have not cataloged yet. But now that the phenomenon is documented, other examples are likely to surface.

When not on the lookout for behavioral disorders, we make gas analyzers for oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen, and many other gases.

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
www.nova-gas.com
http://www.tenovagroup.com/
If you have a LinkedIn account, search for Nova Analytical Systems under Companies and follow us if you want.

I recently stumbled across another interesting mention of shiny object syndrome here. Point #3 in the article mentions it in connection with social marketing.

Photo modified from © 2008 Tack-O-Rama Collection

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#57 - Calibration Procedure for NOVA Model 380

The Nova Model 380 Tri-Gas Analyzer for hydrogen-cooled power generators has been mentioned in this blog before. (http://nova-gas.blogspot.ca/2011/12/45-portable-hydrogen-purity-analysis.html)

This analyzer has three analysis ranges:

Range 1 - Measures Hydrogen in Air from 0-100%.  Normally used to monitor hydrogen purity from 90-100%. 

Range 2 - Measures Hydrogen in CO2.  For use when the generator is being purged with CO2 as a blanketing gas, or when the hydrogen is refilling the generator after a shutdown. 

Range 3 - Measures Air in CO2. For use when air is displacing the CO2 blanketing gas prior to opening up the generator or when CO2 is displacing air prior to refilling the generator with hydrogen.

Calibration

We occasionally get requests to post the calibration procedure for these instruments. Because it is a simple process, it can easily be described in a blog post. So here goes:

• Range 1 - H2 in Air

1. The 380WP should be calibrated at least once a month and also checked on pure hydrogen prior to checking hydrogen purity in Range 1.
2. Using the range switch, select Range 1.  With the pump switched on, allow approximately 1 LPM of air to flow through the analyzer.  Adjust the 'AIR REF ZERO' knob located on the right side of the analyzer until the reading is zero.
3. Next, turn the pump off and allow 1 LPM of 100% hydrogen to flow through the analyzer.  Remove the top cover and adjust the top panel ‘1 H2 IN AIR SPAN’ potentiometer (pot) until the reading is 100.

• Range 3 - Air in CO2

1. Select Range 3.  With the pump off, allow 1 LPM of 100% CO2 to flow through the analyzer.
2. Adjust the knob marked 'CO2 REF ZERO' located on the right side of the analyzer until the reading is zero.
3. With the pump on, flow 1 LPM of air through the analyzer.
4. Adjust the top panel pot marked ‘3. AIR IN CO2 SPAN’ until the reading is 100.

• Range 2 - H2 in CO2

1. Select Range 2.  The zero is shared with Range 3, so it will not have to be set up again in Range 2.
2. With the pump off, allow 1 LPM of 100% hydrogen to flow through the analyzer.
3. If the reading is not 100, adjust the top panel pot marked ‘2. H2 IN CO2 SPAN' until the reading is 100.

Calibration is now complete.

Notes

For calibration, main plant sources of H2 and CO2 may be used, or two high pressure cylinders with 0-30 PSI pressure regulators. These cylinders should contain the following gases:

• 100% H2 for Range 1 and 2 span calibration.
• 100% CO2 for Range 2 and 3 zero calibration.
• Note: Range 1 will zero on air and Range 3 will span on air.

Gas cylinders can usually be purchased from a specialty gas or welding gas supplier. The gas cylinder pressures should be regulated down to approx. 2-5 PSI (14-35 kPa) and have a flow control valve to meter the gas flow into the analyzer. Flow through the analyzer should be approximately 1 LPM.

The Nova Model 380 Tri-Gas Analyzer is being used for hydrogen-cooled power generators all around the world. Maintenance staff at power utilities love the 380 because it’s quick and easy to use.

We’re Nova. We make gas analyzers for carbon dioxide, hydrogen, air, and other gases.

For information on gas analyzer systems, 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://www.tenovagroup.com/

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

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#49 - We want to come to work with you (and learn how we can help)!

Don’t worry, a crack team of Nova operatives won’t be showing up unannounced at your facility anytime soon.

We respect that our customers know the chemistry or internal dynamics of their process probably better than we do. They aren’t coming to us for an education about their own process. In fact, it’s usually the other way round. The more we talk to our customers, the more we learn.

So while it would be a pretty rare thing for us to tell them something they didn’t already know, once in while we do have a flash of brilliance. We are an analytical company after all. We know about gas atmosphere analysis.

We make gas analyzers for atmospheric gases such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, etc. We can assume that our customer needs a gas analyzer because there are aspects of their process that they want to monitor with more precision. They are well aware that there is hydrogen and carbon dioxide or some other gas in their process. They just want a gas analyzer to know exactly how much, and to use that data as a process control.

So how do we propose to come to work with you and learn how to better help you? There are a couple of ways worth mentioning.

1. At the front end of the customer relationship, Mike & Dave at Nova are very interested in learning about your process. We may ply you with annoying questions about chemistry, pressure, temperature, and other fun stuff. We even have a special application form that some of our customers use to organize the relevant information. The data gleaned at this point will enable us to get you pointed in the right direction in terms of specifying gas analysis equipment. This whole process is the first step in Nova ‘coming to work with you’. 
2. During the quoting or design processes, we may have additional configuration issues to discuss with you. Perhaps there is an environmental condition that will affect the cabinetry or temperature management. Perhaps there are other gases in the sample which will interfere with accurate gas analysis. Excessive moisture or particulate in the sample may require sample conditioning components. Nova is still working with you to help you.
3. Sometimes after the analyzer is installed into the application, an issue of some kind arises. Give us a call. We are as interested in getting to the bottom of the problem as you are. Nova is still on the job. 
4. In challenging applications, such as with landfill gas or biogas analyzers, some customers have even decided to hire one of our engineers for a day or two to visit the site after the analyzer is installed. We can do an inspection, calibration, commissioning, and train your staff. Getting your analyzer off to a good start always produces the best results. Our intention is to have the gas analyzer doing its job reliably for as long as possible. 

We’re Nova. We make gas analyzers for oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen, and other gases.
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/

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