Sensing Requirements for Real-Time Monitoring and Control in Energy Production

Abstract

Clean, efficient energy production, such as the gasification of coal (syngas), requires physical and chemical sensors for exhaust gas monitoring as well as real-time control of the combustion process. Following a description of syngas production from coal, we outline the sensing needs for this high temperature, chemically corrosive gas stream.The performance of devices based on the wide-bandgap semiconductor SiC, for monitoring gas composition, flame dynamics and temperature, as well as combustor structural integrity in this extreme environment are reviewed. We have developed a Pt-SiO 2 -SiC micro-device with a dense Pt catalytic sensing film, for fast (<1s) detection of hydrogen containing species at 630 °C. Our SiC sensor can monitor the hydrogen concentration in a 350 °C simulated syngas ambient containing the common interferants CO 2 , CH 4 and CO. Exposure to H 2 S (~1000 ppm) and water vapor does not degrade the sensor performance.

A novel real-time monitoring and control system for waste-to-energy gasification process employing differential temperature profiling of a downdraft gasifier

“…However, continuous and accurate analysis of syngas composition requires complicated gas sampling mechanism and purification system to remove impurities (i.e., particles, tar compounds, corrosive gases and moisture) that would otherwise contaminate downstream analytical equipment (Sampson and Leroy, 2013). Advanced sensing devices that can measure the composition of syngas operating in a harsh environment are still under development (Ghosh and Loloee, 2007;Ögren et al, 2018;Pallozzi et al, 2016). While the fuel could be homogenized and controlled by applying different pre-treatment systems (e.g.…”