Industrial Energy Blog

Quantum Cascade and Tunable Diode Laser Technologies Simplify Analyzers for Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems

Jim Cahill — Fri, 08 May 2026 13:00:32 GMT

Power, Apr 2026, Smart Systems Power Up Modern Emissions Monitoring; by Keith N. Linsley: https://www.powermag.com/smart-systems-power-up-modern-emissions-monitoring/

The post Quantum Cascade and Tunable Diode Laser Technologies Simplify Analyzers for Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Micro Motion™︎ Coriolis Flow Meters are now Easier to Select and Install, Providing Even More Value to Chemical Industry End Users

Jim Cahill — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 20:01:02 GMT

One aspect of consumer electronics that we all appreciate is how designers have worked to make things easier to use. It wasn’t that long ago when adding some peripheral device to a computer called for fiddling with drivers and configuration, whereas today many devices are plug and play. The same also happens with industrial equipment, and we can use Micro Motion Coriolis mass flow meters as an example.

Coriolis flow meters have some very strategic and unique capabilities that make them ideal for a variety of complex measurement applications, but taking advantage of all these features can be challenging. Emerson has worked to ease these issues, as explained in this recent article in Chemical Engineering, Coriolis Flowmeters: Insights for Selection and Upgrade.

Coriolis meters are one of the few flow meter types that can directly measure the mass flow of either gases, liquids, or slurries. They also simultaneously directly measure density and temperature, providing three vitally important measurements within a single meter. Most importantly, the mass-flow measurement remains accurate despite process variation, allowing production units to consistently close the loop on process mass balances and optimize production.

These capabilities are all needed, and even more features are now available. For starters, the range of sensor designs has increased to reduce size, and to support specialized application and configuration options. A great option for chemical manufacturers is the recently released Micro Motion G-Series Coriolis Flow and Density Meter (hyperlink to G PDP), an ultracompact and lightweight solution offering simple installation and integration. Additionally, a range of Micro Motion Coriolis sensors is available with characteristics that cater to different needs and applications. Micro Motion Flow Meters | Emerson US

Transmitters also have new, valuable options for the chemical industry. For instance, the Micro Motion 4700 Coriolis Transmitter offers a compact C1D1 (Zone 1) housing, scalability from 1-3 output channels, Bluetooth® Technology, and retrofitting to existing Micro Motion sensors.

The article goes into more detail on Coriolis additional new features, but a chat with one of our application engineers will be very informative.

If faced with the need to specify a new Coriolis flow meter or upgrade an existing sensor, users should fully understand the assortment of sensor and transmitter options that have recently become available. Coriolis meters have always been a premier flow-measurement device, but the latest technological advances make these meters even more capable and affordable.

You can also connect and interact with other engineers in the Downstream Hydrocarbon and Chemical Processing Groups at the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

The post Micro Motion™ Coriolis Flow Meters are now Easier to Select and Install, Providing Even More Value to Chemical Industry End Users appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Optimal Steam Trap Performance for Heat Exchangers in Sustainable Steam Production

Jim Cahill — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 16:18:14 GMT

In a recent Hydrocarbon Processing article, Improving the sustainability of steam production, Emerson’s Marcio Donnangelo and Tim Dwyer share their insights on the crucial role of efficient heat transfer in process manufacturing. They explore the challenges industries face with steam distribution systems, particularly the impact of problems with steam traps and their impacts on heat exchangers on energy efficiency and sustainability. Steam trap sub-optimal performance or failures can lead to significant energy losses, increased operational costs, and a higher carbon footprint.

Marcio and Tim emphasize that when steam traps fail, they either remain open, leaking steam and wasting energy, or close, preventing proper heat exchange. Either scenario affects the efficiency of the entire system. The cumulative effect of multiple failing traps across a plant can result in substantial energy waste, translating to higher operational costs and a significant increase in CO₂ emissions.

For a steam trap fail-open condition:

…steam loss is a link in a direct energy loss chain. The boiler must work harder to compensate for the loss, so it consumes more fuel and creates more emissions since most boilers burn oil or natural gas. Leaking steam can also lead to a shortage and system pressure sag, requiring additional boilers and leading to even more emissions.

For steam traps supporting heat exchangers that fail to close:

…steam cannot flow through the heat exchanger sufficiently to deliver the heating step that the process needs. Some steam might be flowing, but condensate backed into the heat exchanger reduces the working exchange surface area. Whatever the situation, the process fluid is not being heated sufficiently. Operators observing the effect in the control room may assume it is caused by fouling because the results are similar

To address these challenges, they advocate for implementing automated, continuous monitoring solutions. The Rosemount 708 wireless acoustic transmitter and temperature sensors can be strategically installed to monitor steam trap performance in real time. These sensors detect anomalies in steam trap operation, such as leaking or cold traps, enabling operators to proactively address issues promptly before they escalate into more significant problems.

Rosemount 708 wireless acoustic transmitter feeding Plantweb Insight Steam Trap advanced analytics application to assess steam trap health proactively.

One key advantage of this energy-saving solution is its wireless nature, making it easier and more cost-effective to deploy across large, complex plants. The data collected by these sensors is fed into the Plantweb Insight Steam Trap advanced analytics application, which can provide insights into system performance, predict failures, and suggest maintenance actions. This proactive approach to steam trap management improves energy efficiency and aligns with sustainability goals by reducing the carbon footprint.

Marcio and Tim also explain the importance of integrating these monitoring solutions into a broader digital transformation strategy. Plants can optimize their heat transfer processes by leveraging Emerson’s automation and digitalization tools, reduce waste, and operate more sustainably. This is particularly important as industries face increasing pressure to reduce emissions and operate more efficiently in a competitive global market.

Read the article for more on this solution for effective steam trap management in process manufacturing and production processes. With these advanced monitoring solutions, plants can ensure their heat transfer systems operate efficiently, reduce energy waste, and contribute to broader sustainability efforts.

Visit the Wireless Steam Trap Monitoring section on Emerson.com to learn more.

The post Optimal Steam Trap Performance for Heat Exchangers in Sustainable Steam Production appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time

Jim Cahill — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 21:23:52 GMT

No matter the industry, sustainability is a priority for nearly every industrial company with the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 as a corporate goal for many enterprises. More than one-third (702) of the world’s largest publicly traded companies have net zero targets, up from one-fifth in December 2020. National targets covered just 16% of global gross domestic product (GDP) as recently as 2019. Fast forward three years, and net zero coverage has expanded almost six-fold to encompass 91% of the global economy. A robust net zero design requires the absolute reduction of GHG emissions by at least 90%, allowing for high-quality carbon neutralization in other parts of the ecosystem for any residual emissions, which cannot be otherwise abated. Recently, I had the privilege of presenting a best-practice session on the path to net zero at the Energy 4.0 Conference Stage at Hannover Messe. Here are a few of the salient points:

Industrial processes are responsible for a quarter of global emissions, so to achieve net zero we must learn to do more with much less. In industries where pneumatic systems are widely used, compressed air accounts for 30% of electricity consumption. At the same time, at least 30% of compressed air used in industry goes to waste due to failure at joints, suboptimization of machines, exposure to vibration and rapid movement devices reaching fatigue and general poor oversight. The consequence of this waste is higher emissions, low energy efficiency, unplanned downtime and increased maintenance costs.

Continuous compressed air monitoring and online analysis, however, helps facilities quickly detect and address leaks in their early stages or even prevent them altogether. By replacing manual, periodic maintenance with continuous monitoring using intelligent sensors, plants can gain real-time visibility into equipment health and processes using floor-to-cloud digital technologies, make informed decisions and take control of energy efficiency. The results are regularly a reduction in compressed air usage of 20-30%. A typical calculation might discover a decrease in unplanned downtime of 20% and an improvement in overall equipment effectiveness of 5-10%.

But compressed air usage is not the only area where significant savings of energy consumption can be achieved. In fact, the same approach can allow any plant to remove the guesswork from how and where they use the full spectrum of resources. Employing monitoring and advanced analytics technology, a factory or plant can gain visibility and control of the consumption and costs of water, steam, chemicals, gases and electricity.

The type of results typically seen with continuous monitoring and online visualization achieve ROI on the technology investment very quickly – assuming the automation solution is efficient and affordable. That’s where the below Emerson “Floor to Cloud” technology roadmap comes in.

Based upon a plant’s application and starting at the machine level, intelligent sensors and smart devices can be selected to measure and monitor flow, level, pressure, temperature, distance, humidity, position, speed and more. This vital data is then collected and analyzed close to the machine by edge computers and controllers that produce actionable insights to make immediate educated decisions for taking recommended actions for improvements on the plant floor, including OEE (overall equipment effectiveness). The analytics software continuously aggregates data, visualizes trends like energy efficiency, and detects anomalies on an easy-to-read dashboard. Whenever necessary, edge devices can also forward data to the cloud, where the insights can be combined with other insights to enhance sustainability, efficiency, production and OEE.

One of the key advantages of the “Floor to Cloud” approach is that it allows a project to start small – even on a single machine or production line – see results, achieve some level of ROI and move on to solve other clearly identified problems or scale up. This is in contrast to the many big data strategies that require large investments of time and money before any results are realized. With the floor-to-cloud approach, the project can start as small or large as desired and then scale as fast or slowly as required by the application, demand and enterprise goals. Each step eliminates stranded data and islands of automation in the plant, bringing the data and insights from every machine, production line and system into the enterprise-level decisions.

No matter a company’s size or maturity stage of digital transformation, they can maximize energy use and resource utilization, and reduce environmental impact through data-informed decisions that empower quick actions. By incorporating continuous monitoring solutions, many factories and plants have already significantly reduced resources and energy use and improved their sustainability.

Learn more here.

The post The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time

Jim Cahill — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 21:23:52 GMT

Learn more here.

The post The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time

Jim Cahill — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 21:23:52 GMT

Learn more here.

The post The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time

Jim Cahill — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 21:23:52 GMT

Learn more here.

The post The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time

Jim Cahill — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 21:23:52 GMT

Learn more here.

The post The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably

Jim Cahill — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 22:28:14 GMT

While many functions in industrial plants are commonly automated, the tracking and management of energy remains a task frequently conducted manually. Workers move around with spreadsheets from machine to machine, attempting to capture some semblance of the energy being consumed in a procedure fraught with potential errors and with no way to capture real-time energy overages or to determine when and under what conditions they occur. At the same time, emphasis on sustainability in industrial plants increases daily as do energy consumption regulations. Industry needs an easy, effective way to measure and manage energy usage. New solutions are appearing on the market, one of which is Emerson’s energy management system Movicon™ Pro.Energy™, and it incorporates important capabilities that show what does and doesn’t work in energy management systems. Here are a few important factors:

Be easy and affordable to integrate and use – Except in cases where sustainability is being required, many plants won’t take on the headaches of integrating an energy management system – unless it’s simple and cost-effective. Movicon Pro.Energy runs on a very easy-to-use, SCADA-based platform that employs Wizard-type setup and configuration. The wizard helps users select field variables and automatically create a data collection database. Literally in minutes, users can gain the required visibility they need into their energy use and costs to increase energy efficiency, monitor consumption, and improve their organization’s carbon footprint. Whether from a workstation in the control room, or from a mobile device in the field, users can instantly access highly intuitive, customizable dashboards that translate raw data from devices and energy carriers into actionable information. Nothing motivates like fast results.
Be more than just a data collection system – When users begin to get a reliable, ongoing flow of accurate energy consumption data, they quickly move to wanting to do something about it. They want to go from collection to management – again, if the process is simple. That’s why users should look for a data collection system that is or easily becomes a management system. Because Pro.Energy runs on Movicon.NExT™, users can collect data to manage assets more efficiently through Pro.Energy data in tandem with control system data coming from Movicon.NExT. Teams can identify the status of assets to help make decisions for altered or reduced operation or implement different scheduling to take advantage of off-peak rates.
Be open – The less a plant has to change, the more likely they are to integrate energy management. Movicon Pro.Energy offers numerous integrated solutions to connect directly to PLCs, multimeters, analyzers, remote I/O, and control systems via native I/O drivers. It can also reduce investment and complexity in data collection, easily creating a powerful supervision architecture. It connects to HMI and SCADA systems already installed on production lines and to remote telemetry devices in IIoT equipment using OPC UA client and server. Users can collect and record all energy consumption data, and automatically import tags with a wide variety of fully integrated communication protocols including Modbus, Bacnet, Konnex, LON, Simatic, Schneider, ABB, Profibus, Profinet, IEC 60870, and IEC 61850.

When users start seeing real-time energy data available on their hand-held devices; when they start producing convincing reports at the touch of a button; when corrective measures for energy problems become clear – they see the value of automating energy data collection and analysis. But the most convincing moment is when energy costs start to go down thanks to technology that was easy to install and use, and very affordable to implement.

To see data on Movicon Pro.Energy check out this data sheet, or go to the Emerson website.

The post Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably

Jim Cahill — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 22:28:14 GMT

Be easy and affordable to integrate and use – Except in cases where sustainability is being required, many plants won’t take on the headaches of integrating an energy management system – unless it’s simple and cost-effective. Movicon Pro.Energy runs on a very easy-to-use, SCADA-based platform that employs Wizard-type setup and configuration. The wizard helps users select field variables and automatically create a data collection database. Literally in minutes, users can gain the required visibility they need into their energy use and costs to increase energy efficiency, monitor consumption, and improve their organization’s carbon footprint. Whether from a workstation in the control room, or from a mobile device in the field, users can instantly access highly intuitive, customizable dashboards that translate raw data from devices and energy carriers into actionable information. Nothing motivates like fast results.
Be more than just a data collection system – When users begin to get a reliable, ongoing flow of accurate energy consumption data, they quickly move to wanting to do something about it. They want to go from collection to management – again, if the process is simple. That’s why users should look for a data collection system that is or easily becomes a management system. Because Pro.Energy runs on Movicon.NExT™, users can collect data to manage assets more efficiently through Pro.Energy data in tandem with control system data coming from Movicon.NExT. Teams can identify the status of assets to help make decisions for altered or reduced operation or implement different scheduling to take advantage of off-peak rates.
Be open – The less a plant has to change, the more likely they are to integrate energy management. Movicon Pro.Energy offers numerous integrated solutions to connect directly to PLCs, multimeters, analyzers, remote I/O, and control systems via native I/O drivers. It can also reduce investment and complexity in data collection, easily creating a powerful supervision architecture. It connects to HMI and SCADA systems already installed on production lines and to remote telemetry devices in IIoT equipment using OPC UA client and server. Users can collect and record all energy consumption data, and automatically import tags with a wide variety of fully integrated communication protocols including Modbus, Bacnet, Konnex, LON, Simatic, Schneider, ABB, Profibus, Profinet, IEC 60870, and IEC 61850.

To see data on Movicon Pro.Energy check out this data sheet, or go to the Emerson website.

The post Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably

Jim Cahill — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 22:28:14 GMT

Be easy and affordable to integrate and use – Except in cases where sustainability is being required, many plants won’t take on the headaches of integrating an energy management system – unless it’s simple and cost-effective. Movicon Pro.Energy runs on a very easy-to-use, SCADA-based platform that employs Wizard-type setup and configuration. The wizard helps users select field variables and automatically create a data collection database. Literally in minutes, users can gain the required visibility they need into their energy use and costs to increase energy efficiency, monitor consumption, and improve their organization’s carbon footprint. Whether from a workstation in the control room, or from a mobile device in the field, users can instantly access highly intuitive, customizable dashboards that translate raw data from devices and energy carriers into actionable information. Nothing motivates like fast results.
Be more than just a data collection system – When users begin to get a reliable, ongoing flow of accurate energy consumption data, they quickly move to wanting to do something about it. They want to go from collection to management – again, if the process is simple. That’s why users should look for a data collection system that is or easily becomes a management system. Because Pro.Energy runs on Movicon.NExT™, users can collect data to manage assets more efficiently through Pro.Energy data in tandem with control system data coming from Movicon.NExT. Teams can identify the status of assets to help make decisions for altered or reduced operation or implement different scheduling to take advantage of off-peak rates.
Be open – The less a plant has to change, the more likely they are to integrate energy management. Movicon Pro.Energy offers numerous integrated solutions to connect directly to PLCs, multimeters, analyzers, remote I/O, and control systems via native I/O drivers. It can also reduce investment and complexity in data collection, easily creating a powerful supervision architecture. It connects to HMI and SCADA systems already installed on production lines and to remote telemetry devices in IIoT equipment using OPC UA client and server. Users can collect and record all energy consumption data, and automatically import tags with a wide variety of fully integrated communication protocols including Modbus, Bacnet, Konnex, LON, Simatic, Schneider, ABB, Profibus, Profinet, IEC 60870, and IEC 61850.

To see data on Movicon Pro.Energy check out this data sheet, or go to the Emerson website.

The post Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably

Jim Cahill — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 22:28:14 GMT

Be easy and affordable to integrate and use – Except in cases where sustainability is being required, many plants won’t take on the headaches of integrating an energy management system – unless it’s simple and cost-effective. Movicon Pro.Energy runs on a very easy-to-use, SCADA-based platform that employs Wizard-type setup and configuration. The wizard helps users select field variables and automatically create a data collection database. Literally in minutes, users can gain the required visibility they need into their energy use and costs to increase energy efficiency, monitor consumption, and improve their organization’s carbon footprint. Whether from a workstation in the control room, or from a mobile device in the field, users can instantly access highly intuitive, customizable dashboards that translate raw data from devices and energy carriers into actionable information. Nothing motivates like fast results.
Be more than just a data collection system – When users begin to get a reliable, ongoing flow of accurate energy consumption data, they quickly move to wanting to do something about it. They want to go from collection to management – again, if the process is simple. That’s why users should look for a data collection system that is or easily becomes a management system. Because Pro.Energy runs on Movicon.NExT™, users can collect data to manage assets more efficiently through Pro.Energy data in tandem with control system data coming from Movicon.NExT. Teams can identify the status of assets to help make decisions for altered or reduced operation or implement different scheduling to take advantage of off-peak rates.
Be open – The less a plant has to change, the more likely they are to integrate energy management. Movicon Pro.Energy offers numerous integrated solutions to connect directly to PLCs, multimeters, analyzers, remote I/O, and control systems via native I/O drivers. It can also reduce investment and complexity in data collection, easily creating a powerful supervision architecture. It connects to HMI and SCADA systems already installed on production lines and to remote telemetry devices in IIoT equipment using OPC UA client and server. Users can collect and record all energy consumption data, and automatically import tags with a wide variety of fully integrated communication protocols including Modbus, Bacnet, Konnex, LON, Simatic, Schneider, ABB, Profibus, Profinet, IEC 60870, and IEC 61850.

To see data on Movicon Pro.Energy check out this data sheet, or go to the Emerson website.

The post Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably

Jim Cahill — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 22:28:14 GMT

Be easy and affordable to integrate and use – Except in cases where sustainability is being required, many plants won’t take on the headaches of integrating an energy management system – unless it’s simple and cost-effective. Movicon Pro.Energy runs on a very easy-to-use, SCADA-based platform that employs Wizard-type setup and configuration. The wizard helps users select field variables and automatically create a data collection database. Literally in minutes, users can gain the required visibility they need into their energy use and costs to increase energy efficiency, monitor consumption, and improve their organization’s carbon footprint. Whether from a workstation in the control room, or from a mobile device in the field, users can instantly access highly intuitive, customizable dashboards that translate raw data from devices and energy carriers into actionable information. Nothing motivates like fast results.
Be more than just a data collection system – When users begin to get a reliable, ongoing flow of accurate energy consumption data, they quickly move to wanting to do something about it. They want to go from collection to management – again, if the process is simple. That’s why users should look for a data collection system that is or easily becomes a management system. Because Pro.Energy runs on Movicon.NExT™, users can collect data to manage assets more efficiently through Pro.Energy data in tandem with control system data coming from Movicon.NExT. Teams can identify the status of assets to help make decisions for altered or reduced operation or implement different scheduling to take advantage of off-peak rates.
Be open – The less a plant has to change, the more likely they are to integrate energy management. Movicon Pro.Energy offers numerous integrated solutions to connect directly to PLCs, multimeters, analyzers, remote I/O, and control systems via native I/O drivers. It can also reduce investment and complexity in data collection, easily creating a powerful supervision architecture. It connects to HMI and SCADA systems already installed on production lines and to remote telemetry devices in IIoT equipment using OPC UA client and server. Users can collect and record all energy consumption data, and automatically import tags with a wide variety of fully integrated communication protocols including Modbus, Bacnet, Konnex, LON, Simatic, Schneider, ABB, Profibus, Profinet, IEC 60870, and IEC 61850.

To see data on Movicon Pro.Energy check out this data sheet, or go to the Emerson website.

The post Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Evaluating Combustion: Efficiency Alone is Not Enough

Jim Cahill — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 14:59:10 GMT

In an Industrial Heating article, Emerson’s Andrew Smith breaks down the complexities of combustion control, and provides a solution

Some industrial processes prove to be more complex in actual operation than they first appear. One of the most common is combustion, as applied with boilers, fired heaters, ovens, and the like. Conceptually, it is very easy to understand: mix fuel with air in the right proportion and it works. Well, yes, but it isn’t always that simple.

Fuel, even natural gas, isn’t always completely consistent, and while we’re using air, what we really need is oxygen, but all that extra stuff (nitrogen, etc.) still has to come along for the ride and complicate the mix. How operators work in that environment and strive to achieve the most desirable outcome is the topic of my article in the June issue of Industrial Heating, Better Flue Gas Analysis Improves Combustion Control.

Combustion analysis invariably begins by putting an oxygen sensor in the flue gas stream. Its purpose is to determine if too much air is being pushed into the system, reducing heat-recovery efficiency. If there is very little “excess” oxygen, combustion is efficient, right? Yes, but the true excess amount is difficult to determine from a basic oxygen sensor reading alone.

With the right type of oxygen sensor, it is possible to determine how much of the oxygen in the stack is part of the stoichiometric amount, which is left over due to less-than-perfect combustion, and which is truly excess oxygen. A zirconia sensor has a particular characteristic that allows it to measure only true excess oxygen. Flue gas flowing into the sensor includes both oxygen and any unburned fuel. Given the high temperature and high surface area of the sensor’s platinum beads, combustion of any remaining fuel traces is completed through catalytic oxidation. So when the fuel is consumed, the stoichiometric oxygen is consumed with it. Since all combustion is completed, any oxygen still measurable represents excess oxygen.

Emerson’s Rosemount 6888 In Situ Oxygen Analyzer is just that kind of sensor. It provides a continuous, accurate measurement of oxygen in flue gases coming from any combustion process. Accurate measurement of excess oxygen is critical to optimize the combustion reaction, resulting in reduced energy costs, increased safety, and lower emissions. Still, this measurement alone does not provide the date required to determine if the combustion is excessively rich because it can’t determine the amount of unburned fuel present. Combustion often ends up being too rich because operators turn the air flow down too much, hence the need for a second measurement.

More sophisticated combustion analyzers begin with a zirconia oxygen-sensing element and add a second stage: a catalytic bead sensor designed to measure residual combustible gases, including carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Presence of these represents unburned fuel or only partial combustion. This sensor technology combination is robust and able to withstand difficult environments, including the presence of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide.

Again, Emerson has that kind of analyzer. The Rosemount OCX8800 Combustion Flue Gas Transmitter provides a continuous, accurate measurement of the oxygen and combustibles remaining in flue gases from a combustion process. With that data, it is possible to balance oxygen and unburned fuel to achieve a higher degree of efficiency and optimization. But there is still one more element: emissions. For that last bit, you’ll have to read the article. Suffice it to say, for combustion processes, efficiency and optimization are not always achieved simultaneously, but with enough data, it is possible to operate exactly where the application needs to be.

The key is having all the data necessary for making critical evaluations, and this calls for analyzer technology capable of delivering a full picture of the process. When there is only an oxygen measurement, much is left to guesswork. Operators may reach a comfortable point, but it might be far from optimal. True optimization – possible with the right analyzer technology – creates a balance between low fuel costs, process effectiveness, managed emissions and a safe workplace.

Visit the Combustion Analysis pages at emerson.com. You can also connect and interact with other engineers in the Industrial Energy & Onsite Utilities, and Power Generation Groups at the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

The post Evaluating Combustion: Efficiency Alone is Not Enough appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Evaluating Combustion: Efficiency Alone is Not Enough

Jim Cahill — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 14:59:10 GMT

In an Industrial Heating article, Emerson’s Andrew Smith breaks down the complexities of combustion control, and provides a solution

With the right type of oxygen sensor, it is possible to determine how much of the oxygen in the stack is part of the stoichiometric amount, which is left over due to less-than-perfect combustion, and which is truly excess oxygen. A zirconia sensor has a particular characteristic that allows it to measure only true excess oxygen. Flue gas flowing into the sensor includes both oxygen and any unburned fuel. Given the high temperature and high surface area of the sensor’s platinum beads, combustion of any remaining fuel traces is completed through catalytic oxidation. So when the fuel is consumed, the stoichiometric oxygen is consumed with it. Since all combustion is completed, any oxygen still measurable represents excess oxygen.

More sophisticated combustion analyzers begin with a zirconia oxygen-sensing element and add a second stage: a catalytic bead sensor designed to measure residual combustible gases, including carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Presence of these represents unburned fuel or only partial combustion. This sensor technology combination is robust and able to withstand difficult environments, including the presence of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide.

The key is having all the data necessary for making critical evaluations, and this calls for analyzer technology capable of delivering a full picture of the process. When there is only an oxygen measurement, much is left to guesswork. Operators may reach a comfortable point, but it might be far from optimal. True optimization – possible with the right analyzer technology – creates a balance between low fuel costs, process effectiveness, managed emissions and a safe workplace.

The post Evaluating Combustion: Efficiency Alone is Not Enough appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.