Energy / Biofuels

The possibility of producing energy without a net increase of carbon into the atmosphere has renewed international interest in the Biofuels Industry.

Extrel offers two Process Mass Spectrometers that are used to provide a variety of analyses that help scientists and engineers to accurately and efficiently develop the Biofuel conversion processes. The MAX300-IG™ Industrial Gas Analyzer and the MAX300-LG™ Laboratory Gas Analyzer provide flexibility, produces fast and accurate analysis and can withstand harsh process environments.

Ethanol is produced in several ways from biomass or other organic sources. In an effort to better control production processes and improve efficiency, increased emphasis has been put on the importance of fast accurate, gas analysis for optimal fermentation control.

Fuel Cells are seen as a future alternative to fossil fuels. Many institutions are performing fuel cell research with a focus on commercializing the technology. Typically, an experiment includes a bench scale version of a catalytic process reaction in which the inlet composition is tightly controlled, and the outlet components vary based on fuel cell conditions. The MAX300-LG analyzes the reactor inlet and effluent streams, providing full quantitation and the ability to identify unknowns.

Hydrogen Production plants around the world regularly choose Extrel MAX300-IG™ Quadrupole Process Mass Spectrometers for their analysis requirements. Because of the MAX300-IG’s speed and ability to analyze multiple streams, it has become the system of choice to obtain accurate heating value analysis for product quality control, and to maximize revenue.

In today’s ever-increasing search for inexpensive alternative fuel sources, Gasification is a technology that is steadily gaining popularity. Gasification takes a variety of different raw materials and by-products, such as coal, biomass, petroleum, or biofuel, and through a partial-oxidation process, converts these materials into usable Syngas. Syngas can be used in a diverse range of applications such as creating electricity, chemical manufacturing, or even powering turbines. Monitoring the different stages of these processes becomes significant to ensure proper combustion, maintain efficiency and identify unknowns and potentially unwanted by-products. Real-time analysis of all types of Gasification can be obtained using a Extrel process mass spectrometer.