An Innovative Approach in Gas Monitoring

Ronny McMurray, R&D, Modcon Systems, Akko, Israel
Gregory Shahnovski, Ceo, Modcon Systems, Akko, Israel
Ariel Kigel, R&d, Modcon Systems, Akko, Israel

Monitoring of gasses is essential in process industries to fullfil environmental, safety and process related requirements.

Measurements like  CO, CO2, H2S and O2 in stacks, which represents the efficiency of fuel combustion in ovens, and boilers, form the platform to comply with environmental legislations regarding air pollution,indicates the quality of the fuel, and enables the emission of hazardous gasses.

Aside from that, many chemicals must be stored in tanks in a controlled atmosphere, to prevent oxidation of the product, and to reduce flammability and explosion to occur due to contact of products with oxygen.

However, gas analytics is not restricted to environmental and safety issues only. Real time analytical data of CO, CO2, O2, H2O, H2S and/or HCl are major tools in optimizing process conditions in a variety of chemical, refinery and petrochemical processes, and minimize the production costs.

Conventional gas analysers are based on different technologies. Each technology is specific for a well-defined type of analyses. Many of them cannot directly be used in hazardous areas, but need a flame or explosion proof protected enclosure.

The introduction of tunable diode lasers gave new dimensions in gas analytics, where different gasses can be measured by the same technology. The very narrow absorption bands of  O₂, CO, CO2, HCl, H2S and H₂O in laser absorption spectra simplifies to distinguish between them.

In contrast to other TLD analysers which are in the market, where the transmitter and detector are two different devices, Mettler’s innovative GPRO 500 has the benefit that both, the transmitter and the detector are incorporated  in the same explosion prove analyzer head. This means that TDL analyser can easily be inserted into stacks, pipes, tanks, in safe and hazardous areas for safe measurement of a variety of different gasses, in safe and hazardous areas alike.