Decarbonisation Technology – August 2021

Decarbonisation through innovation

Explore some of the latest available sustainable technologies

measurement provides a reference point to begin lowering the oxygen setpoint until optimised combustion is reached. Less fuel is consumed at this

AMETEK Thermox WDG-V Combustion Analyser

Optimising combustion control and process efficiency Designed for safety and reliability, the Thermox WDG-V is a flue gas analyser designed to optimise combustion control and process safety through the flue gas measurements of excess oxygen (O 2 ), combustibles (CO+H 2 ), and hydrocarbons (CH 4 +). The WDG-V mounts directly to the process flange using a close-coupled extractive design, and it delivers fast responses in flue gases up to 1648°C (3000°F).

optimum oxygen setpoint, which reduces carbon emissions, while a safety margin is

still maintained to avoid spikes or breakthrough of any combustibles.

It is ideal for a wide range of markets, including hydrocarbon processing, metals and mining, and power and steam generation. It is commonly used in process heaters, steam boilers and thermal oxidisers. Leveraging over 50 years of industry-proven field experience, the WDG-V uses the high reliability of zirconium oxide technology to make critical measurements of excess oxygen in combustion processes. Also known as ‘residual’ oxygen or ‘net’ oxygen, the excess oxygen measurement represents the oxygen concentration after all combustible compounds are consumed, and it correlates directly with the air-fuel ratio at the burner. Most fired equipment is operated with a slight excess of oxygen in the flue gas, and this single excess oxygen measurement provides an important setpoint for combustion control. To reduce carbon emissions, the WDG-V can also measure combustibles (CO+H 2 ). Using catalytic detectors, the combustibles measurement provides a mechanism to detect the onset of incomplete combustion by measuring the levels of partially combusted emissions within the flue gas. When operated in conjunction with the excess oxygen reading, the combustibles

Together, the excess oxygen and combustibles measurements enable optimised combustion and energy efficiency. To further monitor for process safety, the WDG-V can also measure methane and hydrocarbons at percent concentrations levels. These measurements provide a method to monitor for flame out and burner fuel leaks during start-up and operation. Finally, the WDG-V provides an additional layer of safety in burner management systems and SIL-2 safety systems. Designed to ensure plant uptime and reliability, the WDG-V leverages built-in measurement redundancy and continual diagnostics functions to monitor overall analyser performance and health and drive predictive and proactive maintenance programmes. In control and safety applications, the analyser must always be operational, and these features provide high safety availability with a low probability of failure, which ensures maximum reliability, reduced process risk, and ultimately fewer unneeded plant emissions.