Novel Gas Composition Sensor System for Monitoring Power Generation Systems

The power plants that form the backbone of the national electric grid will employ combustion of coal and other fossil fuels for the foreseeable future. Optimization of the combustion process to maximize fuel efficiency and minimize harmful emissions will benefit from sensors capable of withstanding the harsh high pressure and high temperature chamber environment. These devices must be versatile and easy to use with low probe cost in order to gain widespread acceptance and use. The objective of the combined Phase I and Phase II projects is to develop and demonstrate a novel sensor system for monitoring the concentration of multiple gas species in power generation systems based on fossil fuel combustion. The proposed system will combine a broadly tunable laser with a high-temperature measurement probe, proprietary detection electronics, and data processing algorithms, and will be tested in collaboration with industrial partners General Electric and ThermoChem Recovery International, Inc. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The initial application target for the proposed sensor is the monitoring of full scale, advanced power generation systems including coal gasifiers and gas turbines. The technology developed in this work may also be applied to many additional industrial processes, including continuous emission monitoring, pharmaceutical manufacturing and explosives detection. The ability to identify multiple species and measure their concentrations in a gas mixture will allow manufacturers to increase yields and reduce costs.