A flue gas analyzer monitors emissions and efficiency of combustion sources, using probes or hoses to measure different gases. Results are stored in memory or printed, and values are designated in ppm or percentage. It is commonly used in industries with legal mandates or for environmental monitoring.
A flue gas analyzer is an instrument that monitors flue gases for emission and efficiency purposes. A smoke analyzer can be an inexpensive portable instrument or a large, permanently installed unit with a flue. Typically, an analyzer has an internal memory system that stores gas readings until the values are loaded into a computer for further analysis. Some large models are connected directly to printers, so companies can also have hard copies of their data.
Generally, a flue gas analyzer is used when a probe is inserted into the flue of a boiler, furnace or other combustion source. Different analyzers can be used, depending on the type of gas being monitored or measured. For example, some analyzers use infrared meters, while others measure the electrochemical data of a gas.
Although the probe model is the most common, a flue gas analyzer does not necessarily need to use a probe to monitor the gas in the flue. For example, an analyzer may pump gas from the flue through a hose connected to the instrument. This is most common when a business wants to continuously monitor a large flue or if a probe cannot be fitted.
Sometimes, more effort is required to measure a gas accurately using a flue gas analyzer. For example, some gases, such as hydrochloric acid or sulfur dioxide, require the hose connected to the analyzer to be heated. Heating the tube prevents some gases from condensing into a liquid before they can be measured. Alternatively, some gases must be cooled using a device called a Peltier cooler. The Peltier cooler cools a surface, such as the tube that transfers gas to the analyzer, so that any moisture in the gas is removed before it is measured.
In most cases, after a gas has been measured by a fume analyzer, a measurement value is designated: the value can be in parts per million (ppm) or as a percentage. Typically, if the numbers are large, such as those found when a flue gas analyzer measures carbon dioxide or oxygen, it will be assigned a percentage value. If the numbers are small, such as those found with carbon monoxide analysis, the value will be given in ppm.
Flue gas analysis using a flue gas analyzer is most commonly used in industries where there are legal mandates requiring companies to monitor their emissions. It can also be used in areas where an industry wants to make sure they are efficient and environmentally friendly. By examining the data, a company can see if they are emitting harmful gases into the air, creating pollution or a host of other environmental problems.
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