There are several different technologies available for measuring the heating value in a flare stack including:

  • Gas Chromatography
  • Thermopile
  • Residual Oxygen
  • Micro-Combustion Calorimeter

However it is important to make sure that the technology chosen has the following 5 characteristics:

  1. Direct Measurement - Directly measures the total heating value. 
  2. Mounts at the Base of the Flare - This decreases the sample transport delivery time resulting in the fastest response time possible. 
  3. Fully Heated Assembly - Keeping all sample wetted parts of the sampling system and analyzer at a high temperature will ensure that all combustible vapors are properly measured, eliminating inaccurate readings.
  4. Simple Flow System - An aspirator driven system is simple and effective, no pump or moving parts helps to avoid condensation and maintenance problems. 
  5. Universal Response - Gives a uniform response to a wide range of combustible gases and vapors, including heavy hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and numerous other compounds found in waste gas streams. 

Measuring the heating value of a varying waste gas streams in a flare stack applications is rigorous, that’s why its important to have an analyzer that can withstand it AND be reliable.

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