A significant way to reduce energy consumption in a manufacturing environment is to optimise the combustion efficiency and energy management on industrial boilers, steam generators, ovens, furnaces, process heaters and smelters by using a thermal mass flow meter.
Combustion Efficiency
The purpose of combustion is to consume fuel to produce heat and to achieve combustion you must introduce air into the combustion chamber. The key to making combustion efficient is to use the right amount of air to consume the fuel, too little leads to incomplete combustion, too much leads to burnt fuel and exhausting greenhouse gases. Combustion efficiency is attained from accurate and repeatable measurement of gases.
Measuring Gases During Combustion – Thermal Mass Flow Meters
Thermal mass flow meters provide exceptional air flow measurement during combustion compared to other flow technologies. They allow precise control of natural gas flow and help process and plant engineers accurately control their complex heating processes in order to optimise rise time, in turn lowering gas consumption, minimising plant energy costs and contributing to a smaller carbon footprint.
One such line of thermal flow meters are the newly introduced Fluid Components International (FCI) ST75 flow meters, which directly measure flow of fuel gas, process gas, inert gas, waste gases and air in small line sizes, ideal for optimising natural gas flow control for industrial ovens.
Applications and Advantages
Thermal mass flow meters are suitable for chemical processing, electronics manufacturing, food and beverage, electric power generation, metals and materials and pharmaceutical industries. Because they have no moving parts they require little maintenance, no temperature or pressure corrections and can be used in difficult application areas e.g. saturated gas. They have good accuracy and repeatability over a range of flow rates and are one of the few types of meter that are able to measure flow in large pipes and ducts.
Related Articles: