Low Cost Feedback Pollutant Control for Small Industrial Boilers

This Phase I research project will develop a new, low-cost carbon monoxide sensor for small industrial burner feedback control systems that will help meet the regulatory goals of minimizing pollution and optimizing heat release for these systems. This device will permit precise control of the burner using a simple, fully solid-state optical sensor that employs microelectric mechanical systems technology and directly providing a feedback control signal to control the fuel-air ratio. In Phase I, Southwest Sciences, Inc., will test and evaluate this methodology on a laboratory-scale burner, and then evaluate it further for use in industrial boiler for Phase II development. The successful completion of this project would lead to a simple, low-cost, rugged feedback control sensor suitable for a variety of industrial combustion platforms used to generate heat. It could be used with only minor modification to monitor other gases at parts per million concentration levels and would have commercial application beyond process control as a continuous emissions monitor for environmental and safety applications.