Open Path Laser Spectroscopy Gas Detection

MSA has been a leader in hazardous gas detection instruments and equipment for many years. Their addition of the Senscient ELDS™ open path gas detector to their already extensive array of gas detection instruments reinforces the MSA leadership position in the field.

The Senscient ELDS™ system consists of an infrared laser transmitter unit and a receiver. The distance between the two components can be up to 200 meters. The function of the system is to provide detection of a targeted hazardous or flammable gas.

The basic operating principle centers around the selective absorption of specific wavelengths of light by the target gas. The transmitter infrared output is selected to match signature absorption patterns of the gas to be detected, with the receiver unit and its signal processing electronics tuned for the same signature. The output signal from the detector indicates the amount in target gas present in the beam path, which is proportional to the degree of absorption at the signature wavelength .

The Senscient ELDS™ incorporates advancements and technology that make its operation more resistant to the adverse effects of the operating environment and other less than ideal installation conditions than previous generations of open path gas detectors.

The included video provides more insight into the operation of the Senscient ELDS™ system. Share your hazardous and flammable gas detection challenges with process instrumentation specialists, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop an effective solution.

Water Quality Analysis - Constituent Survey (Part 2)

Water is a vital part of many industrial processes

It would be difficult to understate the role and importance of water in industrial processing, even our own biological existence. In the first installment of this series, the roles of dissolved oxygen and chlorides were covered.

Continuing the examination of water quality monitoring in municipal and industrial processes, another key variable which requires monitoring for industrial water use is sulfate. Sulfate is a combination of sulfur and oxygen, salts of sulfuric acid. Similarly to chlorides, they can impact water utilization processes due to their capability for corrosion. The power generation industry is particularly attuned to the role of sulfates in their steam cycle, as should be any boiler operator. Minerals can concentrate in steam drums and accelerate corrosion. Thanks to advancements in monitoring technology, instruments are available which monitor for both chlorides (covered in the previous installment in this series) and sulfates with minimal supervision needed by the operator, ensuring accurate detection of constituent levels outside of an acceptable range. Ionic separation technologies precisely appraise the amount of sulfate ions in the stream, allowing for continuous evaluation and for corrective action to be taken early-on, avoiding expensive repairs and downtime.

Another substance worthy of measurement and monitoring in process water is sodium. Pure water production equipment, specifically cation exchange units, can be performance monitored with an online sodium analyzer. Output from the cation bed containing sodium, an indication of deteriorating performance, can be diverted and the bed regenerated. Steam production and power generation operations also benefit from sodium monitoring in an effort to combat corrosion in turbines, steam tubes, and other components. Sodium analyzers are very sensitive, able to detect trace levels.

Ammonia is comprised of nitrogen and hydrogen and, while colorless, carries a distinct odor. Industries such as agriculture utilize ammonia for fertilizing purposes, and many other specializations, including food processing, chemical synthesis, and metal finishing, utilize ammonia for their procedural and product-oriented needs. An essential understanding of ammonia, however, includes the fact that the chemical is deadly to many forms of aquatic life. Removing ammonia from industrial wastewater is a processing burden of many industries due to the environmental toxicity.

Methods for removing ammonia from wastewater include a biological treatment method called ‘conventional activated sludge’, aeration, sequencing batch reactor, and ion exchange. Several methods exist for in-line or sample based measurement of ammonia concentration in water. Each has particular procedures, dependencies, and limitations which must be considered for each application in order to put the most useful measurement method into operation.

As water is an essential part of almost every facet of human endeavor and the environment in which we all dwell, the study and application of related analytics is an important component of many water based processes. The variety of compounds which can be considered contaminants or harmful elements when dissolved or contained in water presents multiple challenges for engineers and process operators.

Share your water quality analysis requirements and challenges with an analytical instrumentation specialist, combining your own process knowledge with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.