Biogas Market Segment Biogas as renewable source of energy is becoming increasingly important since biogas has some ecological advantages mainly being CO2 neutral and hence reducing the formation of greenhouse gases. Biogas is formed by anaerobic micro-organism that feed off carbohydrates and fats producing methane and carbon dioxide as metabolic waste products. The main components of biogas are methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), but it also contains significant quantities of undesirable compounds such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S), ammonia (NH3) and siloxanes. These trace components can be very harmful if they become adsorbed by the oil as they may destroy the engine, e.g., due to corrosion. Biogas engines for power generation are usually deployed in so called CHP (combined heat and power generation) units where the heat generated is used to optimise the fermentation process of wastes or biodegradable materi als. Typically temperatures between 35-60° C are required. The biogas generated during the fermentation process is then used to produce electricity. Biogas engines are typically designed to operate on different types of biogas. The gas engines are linked to an alternator to produce electricity. Biogas engines are available with different capacities ranging from hundreds of kW to several MW capacity. Gases derived from biological processes such as fermentation will contain contamination such as water, hydrogen sulphide and siloxanes. All these contaminants can have detrimental effects on the lifetime and the efficiency of the engines as they degrade the oil in the biogas engine. Water is present in biogas in form of water vapour due to the nature of the feedstock. The amount of water within the biogas depends on the temperature and where the biogas originates from. If the water content within the biogas becomes too high the combustion of the biogas can be very challenging and, in combination with hydrogen sulfide can condense into sulphuric acid. Comline Elektronik Elektrotechnik GmbH Karl-Rapp-Straße 1 • 92442 Wackersdorf • Germany Fon +49 94 31 / 75 65-0 • Fax 75 65-25 [email protected] • www.comline-elektronik.de Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) originates from the feedstock which is usually high in sulphur such as amino acids and proteins. H2S reacts with water to form sulphuric acid which is a very corrosive component and can cause damage to the gas engine itself. Typical life-times of lubricants for biogas engines are 1500 h and it is important to manage the lifetime of the lubricant effectively as the downtime of the engine during oil change has significant costs associated with it. During the combustion of the biogas within the biogas engine the products are absorbed by the engine oil. Especially the effects of water and H2S on the engine oil have to be monitored to ensure that the engine lubrication is guaranteed. The key parameters that should be monitored in the engine oil are the oxidation of the base oil, the pH value of the oil and the Total Base Number of the oil. Applications notes for these parameters can be found on our website: • Oil oxidation • I-pH value • Tot

Mid-infrared spectroscopy Mid infrared spectroscopy (Mid IR) is a powerful technique for measuring the concentration of organic molecules. Mid-IR spectroscopy covers the absorption of light by a sample in the range from 2000 nm to 12000 nm. In this wavelength range the absorption of light at a specific wavelength can be linked unequi vocally to a certain molecular structures that sub sequently identifies the molecule. In the Mid-IR wavelength region each molecule absorbs light at a molecule characteristic wavelength and the amount of light absorbed is a measure of the concentration of the particular...

Oil conditioning monitoring based on Mid-IR spectroscopy Many different substances can be used to lubricate a surface. Oil and grease are the most common. Grease is composed of oil and a thickening agent to obtain its consistency, while the oil is what actually lubricates. Oils can be synthetic, vegetable or mineral-based as well as a combination of these. The application determines which oil, commonly referred to as the base oil, should be used. In extreme conditions, synthetic oils can be beneficial. Where the environment is of concern, vegetable base oils may be utilized. Lubricants containing...

Oil Condition Sensors based on Mid-IR spectroscopy zinc, molybdenum, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, barium or sodium. Again these molecules have uniquely identifiable characteristic absorption wavelength and by way of measuring the infrared absorption spectrum of an oil sample the respective concentrations of each of the additives can be determined. Oil contamination is often caused by foreign substances such as water, glycol, diesel, petrol or foreign oils. Each of these substances have unique characteristic absorption wavelength and can therefore easily being identified. This is shown in the...

IR Sphinx ATR product portfolio and technical specification Spectrometer IRSphinx Sensor Systems Comline Elektronik Elektrotechnik GmbH Karl-Rapp-Strafie 1 • 92442 Wackersdorf • Germany Fon +49 9431 / 7565-0 • Fax 7565-25 [email protected] • www.comline-elektronik.de

Sphinx Suite-Software All Spectrolytic’s products come with a proprietary software called Sphinx Suite. The software is modular and can be customised as required. The software also has the option to interface directly with commonly used data processing software such as Unscrambler. By default all spectrometers are delivered with the Basic software option. The Basic software module allows the customer to perform measurements, save data, export data etc. A: Menu bar with configuration options B: Measurement options and import/export configuration C: Start & Stop measurement button D: Graphic display...