Gasmet’s CMM has successfully completed the EN15267-3 testing with the world’s lowest EN15267 certified range (0 to 5 µg/m3) for measurements of mercury.

This makes the Gasmet CMM system future-proof for declining emission limits.

Gasmet CMM consists of:

• Dilution probe
• Heated sample line
• Gasmet mercury analyzer
• Gasmet test gas generator

These instruments are integrated in an air-conditioned cabinet.

The Heated dilution probe with a two-stage blowback system ensures the durability and low maintenance of the system even in demanding conditions.

The sample gas is extracted from the process duct with a dilution probe and a heated sample line specially designed for sampling mercury from harsh process conditions.

The analyzer has a detection limit of 0.025 µg/Nm3 and the lowest measuring range for total mercury concentration of 0 – 5 µg/Nm3.

Mercury is a sticky compound and it may easily absorb into dust and accumulate in the sample lines and probe filters which can result in analyte loss and increased response time of the analyzer. Therefore, the Gasmet CMM is equipped with:

• a smaller filter element, which minimizes the amount of dust deposition on the filter,
• and a two-stage blowback mechanism which first removes dust from the filter element and then in the second stage expels the dust from the probe tube back into the process.

The Gasmet CMM’s automatic calibrations are actioned at user defined intervals. System settings can be accessed from the easy-to-use Mercury Analyzer User Interface (MAUI).

Gasmet CMM has excellent annual availability and TES provides technical service and support.

The system has been field tested in a variety of industrial applications such as coal-fired power plant, hazardous waste incinerator, sulphuric acid plant and cement plant.

Features

• Future-proof with the lowest measuring range in the world 0—5 µg/m³ (EN 15267)
• Real-time results with fast response time, <120s > Excellent annual availability of 99%
• The highest sensitivity in the market with the detection limit of 0.02 µg/m³
• Highest certified range up to 1000 µg/m³ and measures even higher concentration peaks
• Measures total Hg ensuring zero Hg-derivates being undetected
• 3-month maintenance interval (CMM)

CVAF provides the highest sensitivity

Gasmet mercury analyzer is based on Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence (CVAF) measurement principle, which offers the highest sensitivity in the world.

Measurement uncertainty in traditional analyzers increases by the presence of moisture and oxygen which reduces the fluorescence signal from mercury in the sample. Gasmet has avoided this ‘quenching effect’ in the CMM by developing a dilution sampling approach.

By lowering the concentration of interfering gases, the quenching effect is avoided, but with the CMM’s extremely low detection limit, the sensitivity of the mercury measurement is unaffected.

Thanks to the CVAF technology and Gasmet design, continuous and precise measurement with no need for sample pre-concentration is achieved.

The integrated thermal converter converts all mercury compounds to elemental mercury to measure total gaseous mercury. The converter is directly connected to the fluorescence cell to prevent recombination reactions, where atomic mercury converts back to oxidized forms.

Applications

Gasmet CMM is designed for continuous measurement of mercury from hot, wet and corrosive gas streams. The system is used in a wide range of industrial processes requiring mercury emissions monitoring. Continuous mercury monitoring is generally a regulatory requirement for waste incineration plants, power plants and cement kilns.
Thanks to the high sensitivity and selectivity of CVAF measurement technique, CMM is well suited for many different emission monitoring applications even with extremely low mercury concentrations. The Gasmet CMM has been granted the lowest EN 15267-3 certified range in the world (0 – 5 µg/Nm3).

Contact TES if you have a need to measure total gaseous mercury – we’ll be happy to help you in finding the best solution for your needs.

Background to Mercury Monitoring

The heavy metal, Mercury (Hg), commonly known as quicksilver occurs naturally in rocks and coal, in forms such as metallic mercury and organic and inorganic mercury compounds.

Exposure to Mercury can affect foetal neurological development, and high levels of mercury in blood have been linked to lowered fertility, brain and nerve damage, and heart disease in adults.

In liquid form, mercury readily vaporises and is released into the air, where it is transported and deposited globally. It can bioaccumulate in, and biomagnify up the food chain, especially in the aquatic food chain where it constitutes a major threat to global food security.

Even at low concentrations, mercury poses a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. and continuous mercury monitoring is becoming more and more relevant.

The largest sources of anthropogenic mercury emissions are:

• Mining industry
• Coal combustion
• Cement production
• Waste incineration

Awareness for the need to measure mercury is growing.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a multilateral environmental agreement that addresses that sets out practical actions to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. It requires Parties to address mercury throughout its lifecycle, including:

• production
• use in products and processes
• unintentional release from industrial activity
• waste
• contaminated sites, and
• long-term storage.

Australia signed the Minamata Convention on 10 October 2013 and is now considering ratifying the Convention to become a full Party to it. This will allow Australia to participate and influence decisions on issues addressed under the Convention. The treaty entered into force on 16 August 2017, 90 days after 50 countries have ratified, with the first Conference of the Parties to take place from 24 to 29 September 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland.

As ratification of the Convention would legally bind Australia to the Convention’s obligations, a detailed assessment process will be conducted, with the preparation of a National Interest Analysis and a Regulatory Impact Statement. Ratification will then be considered by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties before a final decision as to whether Australia will ratify the Convention is made by the Australian Government.

Industries, especially those burning coal, oil or waste, need to monitor their mercury emissions.

All measuring techniques need to be able to tackle the challenges mercury monitoring presents.

Mercury can occur in various forms and can even be bound to dust particles. Flue gas includes elemental mercury Hg0 and oxidized mercury Hg2+ in the form of HgCl2. As most measurement methods are based on measuring elemental mercury, it means that the oxidized mercury compounds must be converted to elemental mercury.

Methods of measuring mercury

• Cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy CVAA
• Cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectroscopy CVAF
• Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometry DOAS
• Sorbent Trap method (non-continuous)

CVAA, CVAF and DOAS are all measurement technologies used in certified systems. Selecting the right technique depends on your analytical needs. The choice of analyzing method may also be determined by regulatory compliance. Therefore, it is vital to check which regulatory methods you need to comply with when choosing a mercury analyzer.

Technical Properties to Consider

1. Most continuous mercury measurement methods are based on measuring elemental mercury. This means that the oxidized mercury compounds must be converted to elemental mercury before the measurement. It must be ensured that none of the mercury compounds are lost before the conversion, and that there is no recombination of mercury compounds afterwards. Therefore, placing the converter right before the sample cell is important.
2. Mercury concentrations are extremely low compared to other emission gas compounds. The concentrations are generally few µg/m3 in waste incineration and power plants. These extremely low concentrations naturally require that the measurement technique has low detection limits. It should be noted that depending on the plant or process, there can be relatively high concentrations of mercury from time to time. Because of occasionally varying concentrations of mercury, the measuring system needs to be able to withstand and detect the Hg peaks as reliably as the lower concentrations.
3. Other features expected from mercury monitoring systems are low cross-sensitivity and stable calibration check routines. Cross-interference effects need to be minimized especially as the mercury concentrations are very low compared to other gases in the stack gas. The quality of the measurements can be tested with frequent calibrations and checks. Check routines are preferred to be automatic and adjustable by the user if needed.

Continuous or Non-continuous Emission Monitoring

Continuous monitoring is a particular advantage where abatement systems can be adjusted according to the mercury levels in the plant emissions. Where flue gas treatment is used to achieve lower mercury emissions, continuous monitoring data can be used for example to optimize sorbent injection rates.

Non-continuous methods do not provide sufficient insight for process control. In addition, by measuring process emissions over a short period of time, non-continuous methods risk failing to provide sufficient information on the variability of mercury emissions over time and between differing feedstocks.

In general, the key requirements of a mercury monitoring system are as follows:

• measures mercury continuously
• measures total gaseous mercury
• measures at low levels with high sensitivity during all process conditions
• measures excursions to higher concentrations
• low cross-interference from gases such as Sulphur dioxide
• no analyte loss or other sampling issues in high dust loading
• stable calibration and simplified calibration check routine

Gasmet Continuous Mercury Monitor (CMM) meets these requirements.

Mercury Monitoring with Automatic QAL3 Validation Tool

CMM AutoQAL has a certified validation tool with the possibility to do both Hg0 and HgCl2 checks. This means that there is no need for an external gas generator for QAL3 operations. This leads to saved time and money, making the system more cost-efficient with minimal operating costs. Additional manual checks are possible if needed, all done with one button to ensure user-friendliness. Other benefits:

• No need for additional QAL3 equipment
• Software giving immediate results: Pass / Fail

Download Gasmet CMM Data Sheet

Download Gasmet CMM AutoQAL Data Sheet

Download CMM and CMM AutoQAL Brochure

The post GASMET AutoQAL & CMM Continuous Mercury Monitoring Systems appeared first on Thomson Environmental Systems.

The Tekran^® 2537X is easy to setup, use, and maintain and is known for its stable performance in rugged conditions – installed at both Polar Regions, on ocean research vessels and hundreds of locations in between. As a testament to the longevity of our products, the first Tekran^® 2537X analyzers produced are still running strong and producing quality data with over 15 years of continuous operation.

While the Tekran^® 2537X is typically tasked with continuous ambient air monitoring, other applications are easy to achieve. For example, by continuously measuring the inlet and outlet of a flux chamber, the exceptional sensitivity of the 2537X can be used to determine differential surface emission and deposition rates. The 2537X is most often used with the model 1130 and 1135 to continuously measure atmospheric mercury speciation. The 2537X has also been applied to study and monitor mercury control technology, dissolved gaseous mercury, surface flux by gradient techniques, indoor air, plume chemistry, free-tropospheric air and point sources impacts, to name but a few. In cases where higher air concentrations are expected, the Tekran^® 2537X can be purchased in an alternate configuration to extend the upper range of the analyzer. This is useful for industrial monitoring and site remediation projects where mercury concentrations are expected to far exceed the typical ambient air concentrations.

Key Features:

• Touch screen interface
• Local data storage and file retrieval
• Low detection limit < 0.1 ng/m³
• Fully compliant with EN 15852 Method
• Internal permeation source for automated calibrations
• Dual channel gold trapping for uninterrupted sampling
• Network enabled with remote operation and control
• Improved maintenance serviceability
• Rugged platform with proven accuracy and stability.

Download Specifications

The post TEKRAN 2537X Automated Ambient Air Mercury Analyzer appeared first on Thomson Environmental Systems.

Measurement of GOM with the Tekran^® Model 1130 is the important link connecting deposition of air mercury to sensitive aquatic ecosystems. Emissions of GOM from point sources, in-situ production and transport can result in locally enhanced mercury deposition. Thus air speciation of mercury is of particular interest close to industrial sources. Over 100 peer-reviewed articles have been published featuring data generated by the Tekran^® Model 1130 at field sites throughout the world. The Tekran^® 2537-1130-1135 Atmospheric Mercury Speciation System has been chosen by networks around the world, including the, Canadian-CAPMoN, NADP AMNet, EU EMEP, Korea-NIER, Chinese Academy of Sciences and others around the world.

The majority of atmospheric mercury is present in elemental form, but differentiation is important due to the greater local impact of reactive (ionic) forms. The Model 1130 provides a supplemental pump system to minimise sample collection periods, and produce mercury-free air for use during analytical cycles.

Key Features:

• Integrates seamlessly with the Tekran^® 2537 Analyzer
• Separate controller allows sensitive components to be indoors
• Adsorbing surface is regenerated with each desorption cycle
• Data logging option captures flows and temperatures.

Download Specifications

The post TEKRAN 1130 – Oxidised Mercury Speciation Module appeared first on Thomson Environmental Systems.

The complete Tekran® 2537-1130-1135 Atmospheric Mercury Speciation System provides fully automated, unattended operation to determine all three mercury species concurrently. It is the only system available which has this advanced capability to routinely measure part per quadrillion mercury speciation in ambient air.

Measurement of Hgp with the Tekran® Model 1135 is the important link connecting deposition of air mercury to sensitive aquatic ecosystems. Emissions of Hgp from point sources, in-situ production and transport can result in locally enhanced mercury deposition. Thus, air speciation of mercury is of particular interest close to industrial sources.

Networks around the world have chosen the Tekran® 1135 for mercury speciation monitoring in air.

Conventional particulate sampling is not successful at separating mercury species since GOM has a high affinity for surfaces and sticks to filter media, biasing results. The Tekran® 1130 – 1135 Modules solve this problem by selectively capturing the GOM fraction from the sampled air stream prior to the Model 1135 particulate mercury filter element. Analysis occurs by heating and pyrolysis to release the HgP as GEM for detection and thermally decomposing the particulate matter. Enhanced instrument status and performance is monitored using Tekran® DataCom software, providing the operator with continuous quality assurance results.

Features:

• Connects directly on top of 1130 – no additional mounting is required
• Particulate filter is regenerated with each desorption cycle
• Data logging option captures flows and temperatures

Download Specifications

The post TEKRAN 1135 – Particulate Bound Mercury appeared first on Thomson Environmental Systems.

It offers unparalleled sensitivity and flexibility for those who require truly sensitive total mercury analysis.

The Series 2600 is capable of providing a fully automated implementation of EPA Method 1631. This method is capable of measuring waters and digested solids with detection limits over 10X lower than required.

Features:

Capable of multiple method configurations:

• Dual stage gold preconcentration (EPA Method 1631)
• Direct measurement without preconcentration (EPA Method 245.7)
• Air sample analysis on gold traps (EPA Compendium Method IO-5)
• Natural gas analysis on gold traps (ASTM D-6350, ISO 6978)

Comprehensive Tek-MDS-2 Software Package developed in-house and fully supported.

Download Specifications

The post TEKRAN 2600 Automated Total Mercury Analyser appeared first on Thomson Environmental Systems.

The Model 2700 offers a fully integrated, compact unit based on atomic fluorescence detection and operated via reliable, intuitive software.

The system is pre-programmed to run EPA Method 1630, However, the Model 2700 offers complete method customization including: 1) GC column temperature ramping, 2) Programmable analysis cycle settings, 3) High temperature purge cycles and 4) Choice of trap and GC column. The 2700 will also seamlessly interface with ICP-MS or other analytical instruments.

The Model 2700 enclosure is specially designed for easy access to all serviceable components (e.g. GC column, detector, Tenax/Carbo trap). The Model 2700 includes integrated trouble shooting features such as pre-programmed leak check event cycles and software-based step by step detector maintenance guides. The superior design and features make the Model 2700’s the analyzer of choice for your methyl mercury laboratory.

Features:

• Sample analysis cycle < 7 minutes per sample
• Highly sensitive, ultra-stable CVAFS Hg detector
• MDL of 0.002 ng/L
• Intuitive, reliable TekMDS 2.7 software (based on the 2600 Series)
• IR trap heating and active cooling
• Liquid detector shuts down system in case of sample foaming or malfunction
• Small footprint (51cm X 35cm X 52cm, L:W:H)

Download Specifications

The post TEKRAN 2700 Methyl Mercury Analysis System appeared first on Thomson Environmental Systems.