Re: GAS-L: Tar measurement (fwd)

["Neeft, J.P.A." <neeft@ecn.nl>]

Dear Tom Reed, Mrs. Parikh and gasification list,

Timo Herthan has demonstrated the Tar Analyser at ECN about one month ago.
My opinion is that the analyser is a valuable instrument in biomass
gasification research, as it has a number of advantages over other tar
measurement methods: it is fast (almost on-line), cheap and gives
reproducable results.
The actual concentration of "tars ", measured with the analyser, depends
strongly on the filter material and the filter temperature. If the analyser
will be used by several research institutes, we (=the biomass community)
might want to define a material and temperature for one of the two filters.
This will allow us to compare results obtained with the analyser.

Another point of discussion will be the comparison of tar concentrations
measured with the analyser with tar concentrations measured with other
measurement methods. This point probably will be discussed in a European
project towards the development of a Tar Protocol. This project further
develops the two draft protocols which have recently been published (Biomass
& Bioenergy, vol 18, issue 1). I will inform you in more detail about this
project once it has been started (we are still waiting for the contract from
Brussels).

An article on the tar analyser was published in the same issue of Biomass &
Bioenergy, pp. 79-86, by Oliver Moersch who developed the apparatus.

With kind regards,

John Neeft
Netherlands Energy Research Foundation (ECN)



> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Reedtb2@cs.com [SMTP:Reedtb2@cs.com]
> Sent:	Tuesday, March 21, 2000 3:35 PM
> To:	parikh@me.iitb.ernet.in; herthan@ivd.uni-stuttgart.de;
> artsolar@usaor.net; Robbcpc@aol.com; das@eagle-access.net;
> sellis@mines.edu; john_scahill@nrel.gov; Kingcpc@aol.com;
> sweetness34@uswest.net; dieboljc@rmii.com; pdebruicker@mail.gocpc.com;
> gasification@crest.org
> Subject:	GAS-L: Re: Tar measurement (fwd)
> 
> Dear Mrs. Parikh, Timo Herthan et al:
> 
> Congratulations to Timo on inventing a tar meter.  Tars are perceived as
> the 
> number one problem of gasification.  The first step in solving problems is
> to 
> be able to quantify them.  Your meter has a promise of doing that.  
> 
> I have been thinking about the possibility of a continuous "tar meter"
> based 
> on an FID for some time, but we haven't done anything as yet here at CPC.
> It 
> sounds like Timo has taken the necessary steps to make a meter that could 
> become a standard to replace condensing liquids at various temperatures
> and 
> arguing about what is or is not tar.  
> 
> I like the triple separation into low temperature pass (=methane and HCs),
> 
> medium (for benzene and other fuels), and  passing everything above 100 C 
> (the tars).  
> 
> Is this meter described in a publication of the University of Stuttgart?
> Is 
> it available commercially?  Please let us know.  
> 
> Yours truly,                        TOM REED                    CPC/BEF
> 
> 
> In a message dated 3/13/00 1:22:39 AM Mountain Standard Time, 
> parikh@me.iitb.ernet.in writes:
> 
> << Dear Dr Reed,
>  
>  I am forwarding a mail received regarding Tar measurement. Your openion
> is
>  solicited urgently.
>  Regards
>  Mrs parikh
>  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~~~~
> ~
>  Prof. (Mrs.) P.P.Parikh          Phone  Office : 5783496, 5767548 
>  Dept. of Mechanical Engg.                        5782545 Ext. 7548 / 8385
> 
>  I.I.T. Bombay              Home   : 5704646    
>  Mumbai 400 076 INDIA        Fax    Office : 5783496, 5783480
>         
>                      email : parikh@me.iitb.ernet.in                   
>  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~~~
>  
>  ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>  Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 14:34:42 +0100
>  From: Timo Herthan <herthan@IVD.Uni-Stuttgart.DE>
>  To: parikh@me.iitb.ernet.in
>  Subject: Tar measurement
>  
>  Dear Mrs Parikh
>  
>  I read your email to Dr. Reed concerning the tar measurement problem in
> the 
> gasification
>  mailing list archive. Please give me the time to introduce to you a
> method 
> which was
>  developed at the Institute of Process Engineering and Power Plant
> Technology 
> (IVD) of the
>  University of Stuttgart in Germany. 
>  
>  The TA 120 Tar Analyser was developed for quasi-continuous online 
> measurement of the
>  content of condensable aromatic hydrocarbons, designated as tars, in the 
> producer gas from
>  biomass gasification. The inset of this quantification method features a 
> series of
>  improvements regarding conventional methods, like the wet chemical 
> measurements. Thereby,
>  the possibility of simultaneous and quasi-continuous online measurement
> of 
> tar, aromatic
>  and total hydrocarbon content persuades the user. The analysis time is
> about 
> two minutes.
>  As a matter of principle, the TA 120 can be used in other fields of 
> application, where
>  high seething and volatile hydrocarbons should be measured separately.
> The 
> crossover to
>  the production in series is made by Ratfisch Analysensysteme GmbH in
> Poing, 
> Germany.
>  
>  The principle of the Tar Analyser is the following : 
>  Hot gas is sucked in and purified from fine particles and aerosols,
> before 
> three sample
>  loops are loaded contemporaneously. These three gas volumes are flushed
> one 
> after another
>  by carrier gas to the flame ionization detector (FID). Thereby, the first
> 
> sample flows
>  through a tar filter and the second through an aromatic filter before
> they 
> reach the FID;
>  the third sample reaches the FID unaltered. The concentrations of tars, 
> aromatics and
>  total hydrocarbons are then calculated and displayed. The deposit 
> temperatures of both
>  filters can be regularised independently from each other. Flush cycles
> are 
> reducing memory
>  effects to a minimum and are increasing the lifetime of the filters. The 
> pressure, flow
>  rate and intensifier parameters of the FID are justified by the TA 120.
> The 
> control
>  parameterisation of the measurement cycles can be made optional on the TA
> 
> 120 or by the
>  software TA 120 DataAquisitionÓ from PC/Laptob.
>   
>  · Detector:
>     Flame ionization detector (FID)
>  · Analysis Temperature:
>     Up to 300 °C
>  · Filter Temperatures:
>     0  to  + 100 °C 
>     (adjustable in steps of  1 °C)
>  · Number of Filters:
>     Two
>  · Number of Sample Inlets:
>     Two
>  · Effective Range:
>     3 decates up to max. 120 gC/m3 
>  · Time for one Analysis:
>     About 120 seconds
>  · Measurement Limit:
>     < 0,2 % of the total hydrocarbon content
>  · Reproducibility:
>     ± 0,5 % of the measured value
>  · Linearity:
>     ± 2 % of the effective range accumulated value
>  · Sample Pressure:
>      - 30 - 50 mbar
>  · Sample Gas Flow Rate:
>     10 - 80 l/h
>  · Heating Time:
>     about 60 minutes
>  · Temperature Control:
>     PID- Controller
>  · Ambient Temperature:
>     +5  to  + 35 °C
>  · Signal Outlet / Peripheral Control:
>     RS 485/232 - Interface
>  · Alarms:
>     - Sample loops
>     - Oven Temperature
>     - Temperature of both filters
>     - sensor break (temperature)
>  · Status Displays:
>     - Status of the analytic cycle
>     - Sample Inlet
>     - Oven Temperature
>     - Filter Temperature 1 and 2
>  · Software:
>     TA 120 DataAquisitionÓ 
>  · Required Gases:
>     Fuel FID:   
>     - Hydrogen (Purity 5.0), 2 bar, about 2 l/h
>     Air FID:
>     - synthetical air (HC-free), 3 bar, 20 l/h
>     Carrier Gas:
>     - Nitrogen (Purity 5.0) or compressed air, 2 bar, 5 l/h
>     Valve Control:
>     - compressed air, 6 bar, 50 l/h
>     Calibration Gas:
>     - about 5 Vol.-% Methan in N2 , max. 100 mbar
>  · Gas Connections:
>     6 mm clambing ring screw joint.
>  · Power Supply Line:
>     230 V / 50 Hz / 1500 VA
>  · Weights and Measures:
>     about  30 kg
>     6 HE x 19 " x 480 mm (H x B x T)
>    
>       
>  If you have more questions about the tar analyser feel free to contact
> me.
>  
>  Kind Regards
>  Timo Herthan
>   >>
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