The Project
Eagle Valley Clean Energy, LLC owns and operates a 12 MW biomass power plant, generating electricity through the combustion of waste wood.
The plant required a reliable solution for continuous NOx compliance monitoring, replacing an ageing cold-dry extractive gas analyser that had become unreliable and required significant ongoing maintenance.
Working alongside ESC / Monitoring Solutions, CODEL was tasked with providing a dependable monitoring solution capable of meeting the demands of the application while reducing maintenance requirements.
The Challenge
The existing cold-dry extractive analyser required regular maintenance to maintain reliable operation, leading the customer to have reservations about investing in another conventional extractive system.
Initially, CODEL’s in-situ GCEM 40 Series was proposed as an alternative. However, the available measurement location was immediately downstream of the electrostatic precipitator (ESP), where vibration within the stack affected the suitability of the in-situ measurement.
A different approach was therefore required that could retain the benefits of the GCEM 40 measurement technology while overcoming the challenges presented by the installation location.
The CODEL Solution
CODEL recommended the GCEM 40E Hot-Wet Extractive Gas Analyser as a more suitable solution for the application.
Moving from the in-situ GCEM 40 to the extractive GCEM 40E removed the measurement issues associated with stack vibration while providing the plant with continuous NOx monitoring.
Unlike the plant’s previous cold-dry extractive system, the hot-wet measurement approach avoids the need to cool and condition the sample before analysis, helping simplify the system and reduce maintenance requirements.
The GCEM 40E was installed in August 2022, with the system required to be fully operational ahead of the plant’s upcoming EPA source test.
Preparing for EPA Source Testing
In January 2023, CODEL assisted plant operators with checking the performance of the GCEM 40E ahead of the scheduled EPA source test.
The analyser was configured to perform an automatic zero and span every 24 hours in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
During a high-span check conducted by CODEL, despite a high-span check not having been carried out for several months, the analyser was found to be within 0.5 ppm.
This provided a strong indication of the stability and consistency of the measurement over an extended period of operation.
The Result
The GCEM 40E provided Eagle Valley Clean Energy with a reliable solution for continuous NOx monitoring while overcoming the vibration-related challenges associated with the original in-situ installation.
Since installation, the system has delivered reliable and consistent measurement with minimal maintenance requirements, while also using very small quantities of span gas.
The installation demonstrates how selecting the appropriate measurement technique for the conditions at the monitoring location can significantly improve long-term CEMS performance.
GCEM40E CEMS Extractive Gas Monitor
The GCEM40E hot extractive multi-channel gas analyser is CODEL’s industry-proven continuous emissions monitor for difficult applications. Designed exclusively for use on a wide range of applications where the flue gas temperature is abnormally high, low or saturated.
Features & Benefits
- Single or Multi-species infrared absorption analyser
- Hot Extractive System
- CO, NO, NO2, NOx, SO2, CH4, HCI, CO2 & H2O
- Gas temperature and pressure sensors
- Analogue & serial digital output.
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