A Cavity-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Based, Real Time, Fuel Gas Composition Monitoring System for Feed Forward Control

To achieve higher efficiencies, lower emission, improved reliability and availability, and stable control and operation through feed-forward control systems, fossil energy power generation facilities (e.g. emerging modular power systems) needs fuel gas composition data to identify any post-production cleanup options and allow fine-tuned control of the combustion process. Ideally, such a monitoring system should be sensitive and selective to gas compositional components (both major and minor), measure rapidly (seconds), and be reliable, compact, and ruggedly packaged for industrial installation. In addition, such a system would preferably include “smart” features such as on- board signal processing, self-calibration, built-in test, and supporting digital/data bus communications for compliance with industry integrated instrumentation data systems. Sporian Microsystems has previously developed a compact breathing air monitoring system for the US Navy based on Raman spectroscopy that is capable of simultaneous real-time detection of gas components and contamination. Whilecapable of meeting many of the performance requirements in fuel gas composition monitoring applications, development efforts are needed to translate the technology, and the technology could benefit from adopting emerging cavity-enhanced and/or capillary/waveguide Raman strategies as well as packaging modifications to a rugged energy industry suitable format. Thus, the long term-objective of the proposed effort is to leverage Sporian’s prior work on Raman spectroscopy monitoring systems, and introduce cavity-based enhancement and/or capillary/waveguide strategies to realize the required inexpensive, reliable, real-time fuel gas composition monitoring system. The phase I effort will include: 1) working with technical partners and industry stakeholders to define system requirements; 2) evaluating and defining hardware/electronics architectures and designs, 3) and proof-of-principle testing/demonstration using benchtop-scale prototypes of both a cavity enhanced and capillary/waveguide based hardware.