LaserSense-CV™: BTU Analyzer with Wobbe Index and Calorific Value Measurement
For the past 50 years, gas chromatographs have been used to analyze and measure BTU values for custody transfer, boiler/turbine efficiency and flare monitoring. However, GC technology requires a significant amount of monitoring and maintenance, creating high labor costs in field-based applications. In addition, analysis times are slower than online applications frequently require.
Block Engineering has developed the LaserSense-CV, a quantum cascade laser (QCL) based hydrocarbon analyzer that provides significant improvements over traditional gas chromatographs. The LaserSense-CV provides rapid (<10 seconds) C1-C6 gas analysis, used to compute BTU and Wobbe index. The system requires no consumables or costly maintenance.
Quantum cascade laser technology allows for:
· Accurate speciation of hydrocarbons, enabling full natural gas analysis
· Precise Calorific Value (CV) and Wobbe Index (WI) calculation
· 3-10 second analysis time (typical)
· Limited maintenance and no consumables
Block’s LaserSense-CV affords significant cost savings over GC’s, which require expensive replacement columns and carrier gases. In addition, Block’s LaserSense-CV provides C1-C6 speciation, which Zirconium Oxide analyzers and physical property analyzers do not. Block’s mid-IR QCL technology allows for readings an order of magnitude greater than near-IR analyzers, and with far broader tunability than TDLAS technology.