https://specials.auma.com/en/profox?utm_source=engineerlive&utm_medium=onlinebanner&utm_campaign=profox_2024

Lab and online analytics for power generation plants

Paul Boughton

Katrien Verhassel, Sarah Blayds and Ralf Koening explore the latest in laboratory and online analytics for power generation applications.

Early this year, Hach Ultra aligned with Hach Lange to provide customers an even wider technology range of products and solutions for industrial applications.

The synergy of both companies was and is 'expertise in manufacturing process instrumentation' for the power, beverage, drinking and waste water, chemistry, life sciences, paper and neutralisation industries. The alignment strengthened Hach Lange's existing product portfolio expertise in both lab and process technology and from waste water to production control.

Hach Lange now offers power generation engineers, quality control operators, contractors and system integrators a more comprehensive range of products. Respected brands such as Orbisphere - the premium name in dissolved gas analysis, Polymetron - the industry standard in E-chem analysers and ANATEL - the market leader in TOC analysis now complete the Hach Lange product portfolio.

Hach Lange's strengths are the lab and online analytics of potable, industrial and municipal wastewater. These brands continue to set the industry benchmark for lab and on-line analytics and can be found in power generation applications worldwide.

With the growth of new developments throughout the world, electrical power will be in continuous demand. Tomorrow's power generation industry operators will be faced with new challenges in developing more complex solutions for the production of electrical power as environmental regulators become increasingly more demanding. Hach Lange products and services have been designed to comply with the high quality industry standards and local regulations such as EPRI, VGB and ASTMS.

Two of the key drivers at Hach Lange are continuous growth and innovation, within the last 24months the company has launched several new products for the power industry, the Polymetron9120 Silica analyser, the Polymetron9240 multi-channel sodium analyser and the Orbisphere1100 Series - the new luminescent dissolved oxygen sensors.

The latest development of the three launches, the Polymetron9120 silica analyser has been designed to reduce demineralisation water plant costs by detecting early stages of resin saturation with its low 0.5ppb detection limit. It has a built-in sequencer (1to 6channels) that optimizes plant investments and operators can now use local reagents. The uniqueness of this product is the 'zero method' operation which determines potential silica deposits on turbine segments; it is performed automatically without the need of any calibration solutions or resin cartridges - eliminating human error.

The Polymetron9240 sodium analyser, a popular product in the power industry, provides low level sodium measurement in high purity water applications. With a detection limit of 0.01ppb and a range of 0-10000ppb, it is ideally designed for monitoring sodium in demineralised water, boiler feed, condensate and all parts of the steam/water cycle.

Another blockbuster is the Orbisphere 1100 Series - luminescent dissolved oxygen sensors - often referred to as setting the benchmark in oxygen monitoring has been designed to determine dissolved oxygen levels in de-aerated water with the unbeatable precision of +/-0.8ppb and a limit of detection of 0.6ppb. Such accurate measurement readings are essential to control low oxygen levels in water steam cycles. The luminescent dissolved oxygen (LDO) measurement works on an optical basis: An active fluorescent spot is excited with blue light and emits a red luminescent light. This emitted red light is detected. The presence of oxygen in liquid or gas changes the rate of the red fluorescence decay and the remaining light relates to the oxygen concentration.

These LDO sensors have minimal drift - making them the most stable sensors in the market with the longest calibration intervals. In addition, the two second measurement frequency offers a real fast response time and the two minute annual calibration substantially reduces operator costs compared with other electro-chemical and luminescent sensors. Due to gas phase calibration additional chemicals are not necessary, making the readings easier and safer without reducing precision. With the elimination of conventional membrane and electrolyte, all measurements performed with these sensors are unaffected by process changes or pressure shocks which in return reduces both maintenance and operating costs.

Christian Auener, Structural Integrity Analyst at SERCO Technical and Assurances Services in the UK said: "The low level accuracy of the system within the calibration range of the Orbisphere 1100 Series reduces the inaccuracy of the measurement allowing never seen before readings within primary water conditions at Serco.

"We have numerous requirements from the industry to recreate plant conditions with high purity water containing high concentrations of other dissolved gasses and pH raisers and so the Orbisphere 1100 Series has proved ideal for our application."

Gareth Hughes, Industrial Process Sales Manager at Hach Lange stated: "The key feature of the Orbisphere 1100 Series, that sets them apart from other instruments, is the ability to provide highly accurate results with little or no more service requirements".

The Orbisphere 1100 Series sensors allow power operators to monitor dissolved oxygen at low levels of 5ppb in a reliable and quick and easy way - ideal for all power applications.

Hach Lange will to continue to grow in product innovation and will be develop many more process instruments for tomorrow's power generation operators. Representatives from the company maintain an active role in quality standards organisations to ensure users are informed and products are in compliance with industry changes.

Enter X at www.engineerlive.com/ipe

Katrien Verhassel is with Hach Lange Sàrl, Vésenaz, Switzerland; Sarah Blayds is with Hach Lange LTD, Salford, Manchester, UK; Ralf Koenig is with Hach Lange GmbH, Dusseldorf, Germany. www.hach-lange.com, www.hach-lange.co.uk, www.hach-lange.de

Recent Issues