Analyser watches poultry-powered plant

Multicomponent FTIR gas analyser monitors emissions at the world's first poultry-litter-fuelled power station in Eye, Suffolk.

Quantitech has recently installed a multicomponent FTIR gas analyser at the world's first poultry-litter-fuelled power station in Eye, Suffolk.

A portable FTIR that uses exactly the same technology has also been supplied as a back up for Eye and its sister plants.

The Eye Power Station is owned and operated by EPR, the leading renewable energy generator in the UK.

The station consumes 160,000 tonnes per annum of chicken litter, which is sourced from a large number of farms in the region.

Since the Eye plant was constructed in 1992 emissions have been tightly controlled.

However, from 28th December 2005, the Waste Incineration Directive (WID) imposed lower emission limits and as a result the Eye plant made an additional GBP 3 million investment in abatement and monitoring equipment.

Quantitech supplied the new monitoring equipment, which was configured to precisely meet the plant's new requirements.

This included the measurement of CO, CO2, NOx, SO2, HCl, H2O, O2 and particulates.

An MCERTS approved FTIR analyser was chosen because of its ability to perform continuous multiparameter measurements.

FTIR stands for Fourier transform infra-red, the preferred method for infra-red spectroscopy.

As a multicomponent gas analyser, the Gasmet FTIR from Quantitech is ideal for customers that need to: analyse several components; analyse hot/wet gas (such as hot humid applications for HCN, NH3 or HCl etc); or analyse any gas in complicated gas mixtures.

Quantitech's Dominic Duggan says that in comparison with multiple analyser CEMS, the FTIR is "Extremely easy to operate" adding "Zero point calibration with nitrogen (background) just takes a few minutes and is required once a day".

"Water vapour calibration must be performed after every major maintenance operation and at least once per year".

"Under normal circumstances no other calibration is required which saves our customers a great deal of time, effort and money".

Summarising his experience with the Quantitech monitoring system, Eye Station Manager, Kevin Williams says: "The reliability and accuracy of the monitoring equipment are vitally important for the environmental performance of the power station".

"However, the data management regime that Quantitech has created not only helps us to ensure that we remain constantly within the emission limits, but also helps us to operate the plant as efficiently as possible".

"We are very happy with the FTIR monitoring technology for two important reasons".

"First, as a multicomponent measurement technique it saves us from the extra costs that would be incurred with the addition of new parameters such as VOCs".

"Secondly, the availability of a portable FTIR that exactly mimics our online version means that we have a highly effective backup system, so we do not have to worry about loss of data if a problem occurs".

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