Fluenta Overcomes CO2 Challenge with Innovative Ultrasonic Sensors

CAMBRIDGE, England, March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Flaring, driven primarily by safety concerns, is a vital part of energy production, serving as a responsible alternative to releasing greenhouse gases directly into the atmosphere. However, the presence of high concentrations of CO₂ in the gas stream has long been an insurmountable challenge to achieving accurate measurements.

In 2023, Fluenta launched a completely new range of ultrasonic sensors, called FlarePhase, available in 3 models with an industry-leading range of wide operating temperatures from -200 ^oC to 350 ^oC. These sensors were targeted, amongst other benefits, at overcoming the specific challenges in measuring in high CO₂.

In January 2024, Fluenta conducted a confirmation test at IPT Brazil that verified stable and accurate flow measurement in a composition with 99% CO₂ flowing through a 10.5" pipe. Currently, only Fluenta can achieve this level of accuracy. In addition, Fluenta measured in a wide range of other gas compositions and conditions, demonstrating the accuracy of their proprietary physics modelling and predictive performance tool, which can accurately assess the performance of all Fluenta sensors in almost any process condition.

"We are proud to overcome a long-known limitation of ultrasonic flow meters," Dr Neil C Bird, chief scientist at Fluenta, said. "Fluenta flow meters can measure flare gas with high CO₂ concentrations in any pipe size up to 42" using appropriate sensor configurations. This breakthrough enables us to support more companies with challenging installations in achieving dependable and accurate measurement."

The primary technique for measuring flare gas volumes with ultrasound relies on the time-of-flight principle to determine gas velocity. Placing two transducers at an angle across a flare line, capable of sending and receiving signals, allows accurate calculation of the flow velocity. However, CO₂ strongly attenuates ultrasonic signals which is a key technical challenge.

Flare gas with CO₂ levels exceeding 40% has historically posed challenges for precise ultrasonic measurement. While ultrasonic measurement provides a much more accurate approach for assessing flare gas, it is essential to acknowledge that ultrasonic signals can be absorbed by CO₂. This absorption effect is significant, with signal attenuation reaching extreme levels of up to 100,000 to 1, even in smaller pipe sizes.

Using a novel approach to this challenge, Fluenta has brought its extensive signal processing expertise to bear as well as developing a proprietary physics-based tool to accurately predict performance in various process conditions. In practice, test measurements can only represent a limited portion of the gas compositions present in flare gas. Therefore, the challenge lies in measuring the diverse compositions encountered under various operating conditions. Flare gases typically exhibit different compositions depending on whether the facility operates under normal conditions, abnormal conditions, or during blow-down scenarios. Fluenta's tool calculates capability based upon combinations of up to 20 different gases at a full range of concentrations.

The testing, conducted at IPT Brazil involved the construction of a 20" flow loop facility specially for Fluenta. To validate Fluenta's CO₂ modelling capabilities, the CO₂ loop at ITP featured a 20" diameter pipe with spool diameters between 12" and 20". The maximum flow was 16,000m³/h with linear flows of 68m/s for 12" pipe, 42m/s for 16" pipe and 27m/s for 20" pipe. The loop incorporated a heat exchanger to stabilise the gas temperature. A real-time analyser and gas chromatograph verified the CO2/air mixtures up to 100% CO₂.

Notes to Editors:

For more on Fluenta, please visit: www.fluenta.com

Fluenta has been a global leader in ultrasound technology and its application in flare gas measurement since its inception in 1985 and has more than 30 years' expertise in the technology, including thousands of deployments, often in some of the most challenging environments in the world, where safety and accuracy are paramount.

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