Monitoring solutions for the renewable energy industry

Austech Instruments has developed an analyser and complete analyser system to monitor the concentration of methane being fed to engine modules installed in power stations supplied by landfill waste gas, coal seam methane or biogas. A number of these systems have already been installed in a Central Queensland coal mine to monitor the coal seam methane being captured and used for power generation. The analyser is used together with other instruments to monitor the flow of methane and enables accurate on-line real-time monitoring of the methane concentration within the overall gas mix. This monitoring ensures the engine can be run to optimum efficiency, can be shutdown if the methane approaches a dangerous low level of concentration, and importantly provides a measure of the performance of the power station in removing methane from the atmosphere, assisting in the calculation of greenhouse carbon credits.

The Austech Methane Analyser is Australian Certified Exd, ensuring it can be positioned in the hazardous area close to the fuel rail to shorten the sample line. This minimises the response time of the measurement. The analyser is accurate, stable and is not cross-sensitive to other hydrocarbons, essential in this application where its output is integral to the measurement of greenhouse gas abatement. The analyser can also be used for safety shutdown functions.

The analyser has a local display, 4-20mA output and is available with optional relay outputs. When integrated with Austech’s sample conditioning system, the methane analyser can be tailored to each site’s specific conditions and environment. Austech can provide a complete package including system design, panel construction, installation, commissioning and ongoing calibration services.

Other instruments available from Austech include gas detectors for ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, hydrogen chloride, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, refrigerant, oxygen deficiency and others, many being housed in weatherproof stainless steel enclosures.