Industrial biogas is a byproduct of several processes within a variety of industries. If your process includes biogas as a byproduct, then the accurate and consistent measurement of the biogas’ makeup is essential in maximizing its commercial value and ensuring safe and compliant operations of your plant and process.
The Four Main Components: Methane, Oxygen, Hydrogen Sulfide, and Carbon Dioxide
Methane Measurements: Methane (CH4) being the primary component, the measurement of its composition and quality is essential in maximizing the benefits from private and government-backed incentives for this biogas to be used as a fuel source.
Oxygen Measurements: Accurate and reliable measurements of oxygen (O2) is critical in maintaining the appropriate levels of saturation to prevent the generation of explosive mixtures of methane (CH4) and oxygen (O2). These measurements also ensure efficient levels of microbial activity to eliminate the potential for oxygen to poison an anaerobic digestion process.
Hydrogen Sulfide Measurements: The corrosive, flammable and poisonous nature of hydrogen sulfide make it necessary to ensure that the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) level is maintained at level of ideally less than 200ppm, minimizing the potential for corrosion when the condensing gas forms sulfuric acid.
Carbon Dioxide Measurements: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is used as an effective indicator of efficiency of an anaerobic digester performance. Understanding the performance of the digester is instrumental in keeping your product and plant protected.
The Neal Systems Solution
Neal Systems expertise in engineering, installing, and servicing gas analyzation and detection systems is unrivaled in the industry. Whether you are producing solid products, liquid products, fuel, thermal or electricity our team can provide you with the most accurate and reliable gas analyzers and detection systems available.
Our top choices for gas analyzation and gas detections include: Hitech (aka Eaton MTL Gas), Servomex, and Draeger. With these products, our team can build an efficient and effective solution to keep your process maintained at the highest level to protect and ensure safety and the quality of your product.
For more information on how Neal Systems can provide the best solution for your process, please contact us here!
The winter months bring low temperatures, which leads to the risk of pipes freezing and bursting. A burst pipe can cause a catastrophic failure in some plants. Recently, a Neal Systems engineered solution mitigated this risk and allowed for preemptive action to be taken to avoid a shutdown and costly repairs.
The image shown, shows the temperature inside an enclosure containing controls for the liquid flowing in-to and out of a large tank. At 06:40 AM the tank temperature hit a low of 16 degrees Fahrenheit. This monitoring allowed for our customer to take action immediately to avoid a costly shutdown and repair.
Our solution consisted of a Eurotherm 2500/VersaDac I/O which collected the data from the piping system via 4 to 20 mA signals from temperature, tank and flow levels using a Foxboro IDP10S and a Foxboro RTT15S.
The data was transmitted using a Red Lion Cellular Data Modem in a PLC and a Eurotherm 6180A Recorder. Eurotherm’s Review software produced the image shown, which was being remotely monitored by the customer.
Neal Systems expertise in designing and supplying cost effective solutions, saved our customer tens of thousands of dollars in repairing freeze damage to pipes.
For more information on this or other NSI solutions contact us here!
Neal Systems has teamed with Lambda Square to create the NSI Orifice Plate Assembly (OPA), a pre-assembled, simplified flow measurement solution.
NSI’s team of engineers are here to help with the challenges of specifying, sizing, and assembling a total differential pressure flow-based measurement package.
Our custom-designed Orifice Plate Assembly, the NSI OPA, solution utilizes a Lambda Square orifice plate, a high-accuracy Foxboro by Schneider Electric differential pressure transmitter (just one, not two!), and a pre-fabricated flange assembly containing all necessary connection materials.
Most flow projects utilizing an orifice plate often have three major challenges:
Two differential pressure transmitters are typically required for wide range flow applications. Traditional DP transmitters have poor accuracy on the low-end of the scale. This causes significant errors in the flow calculation.
Inaccurate process conditions can result is poorly sized orifice plates
Customized parts often have long lead-times leading to long down-times
The Neal Systems Orifice Plate Assembly has been engineered to overcome these three challenges.
Our solution solves the first issue of needing two transmitters and flow calculation errors by utilizing a single differential pressure transmitter that has a 0.025% reading accuracy across 88% of the full range – the Foxboro by Schneider Electric IDP50S. Reading accuracy means the error decreases as the measurement decreases. Using the IDP50S means that for the vast majority of flow applications, you do not need a second transmitter for low-flow. In addition, the flow calculation has the same superior accuracy across the 88% of the usable transmitter range, not just at the measurements high point.
The second challenge, inaccurate process conditions, is addressed by our OPA design form, which can be viewed HERE. Our team of application engineers will gather your information and design the optimal orifice plate and options for your application. We will also provide a size up and size down in order to have a back-up plan should conditions change.
And finally, our solution to long lead times is handled by utilizing mostly stock parts for all of our assembly – the transmitter, 3-valve manifold, orifice plate, and mounting assembly are all stocked items that can be quickly ordered replaced and installed should there be an issue.
Additional Options
The NSI Orifice Plate Assembly has an additional option for steam applications. For saturated steam applications we can convert flow to mass by adding a Eurotherm by Schneider Electric Nanodac. The Nanodac can generate a saturated steam table with inputs for flow, pressure, and temperature.
Speak directly to one of our engineers about the NSI OPA by contacting us here!
The Foxboro Telemetry & Remote SCADA Systems (TRSS) is a logic control and data acquisition system built around the unique features and benefits of the following products: EcoStruxure GeoSCADA Expert Process Visualization Software (formerly known as ClearSCADA), Foxboro ScadaPACK Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), Accutech Wireless Instrumentation, Trio Data Radios.
Schneider Electric Foxboro TRSS can be configured and set-up via programs using menu-driven, table-driven, and point-and-click developer interfaces. Also, TRSS is optimized to be a data exchange method that fully embraces the advantages, robustness, and efficiency of the DNP3 protocol.
Neal System’s team of expert engineers can work with you to build the best system for your specific application using the Telemetry & Remote SCADA Systems (TRSS) products.
Surge protectors usually are triggered and reset when there is a potentially damaging electrical surge in signal cables. Only when the surge goes above 20kA or more do these devices fail, which is what can be seen in the photos below.
When these types of surges occur, without protection, the entire panel would likely be destroyed. Instead, a small economical device takes the hit, breaks the circuit and the entire panel is protected.
The photo shows a melted and exploded-looking MTL SD32MDX. The energy this device was able to take and divert saved the connected sensitive electrical equipment from destruction.
For around $100 a piece you can potentially save thousands in repairs and replacements with a simple installation of a surge protection unit.
