Mercury Monitoring System suits coal-fired power plants.
Press Release Summary:
To satisfy PS-12A mercury CEMS performance standard required by Clean Air Mercury Rule, continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) employs Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence (CVAF) technology for measuring mercury. Product enables low detection limits and total vapor phase measurement while minimizing sample loss during transport. This eliminates need for external calibration gasses and optimizes mercury trading credits.
Original Press Release:
GE Energy Announces New Mercury Monitoring System for Coal-Fired Power Plants
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA-December 6, 2005-GE Energy announced its new continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) for mercury measurement at the Power-Gen International conference, which is taking place December 6-8 in Las Vegas, Nev. The product was developed in partnership with PS Analytical to satisfy PS-12A, the mercury CEMS performance standard required by the Clean Air Mercury Rule. The performance standard outlines the requirements for certification and ongoing Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) for continuous mercury emissions monitoring.
Available for commercial operation in the first quarter of 2006, the new mercury CEMS employs Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence (CVAF) technology for measuring mercury. The approach induces mercury atoms to fluoresce, like a fluorescent light and then measures the fluorescence level to calculate mercury concentration. Unlike traditional Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (CVAAS) technology that calculates mercury concentration by comparing the energy emitted to the energy received, CVAFS compares energy emitted to the background. The CVAFS approach yields an improvement in sensitivity of 50 to 100 fold.
"GE Energy has partnered with PS Analytical to bring proven atomic florescence technology to the utility industry," said Dan Heintzelman, president of GE Energy's services business. "By integrating GE's CEMS technology, experience and resources with PS Analytical's leading-edge mercury measurement technology, we are now able to provide a comprehensive system solution for the coal-fired utility industry."
"Since 1996, PS Analytical's research program has focused on the measurement of mercury in fossil fuels," said Peter B. Stockwell, PS Analytical's managing director. "This research, and our experience with operating fully automatic online systems in the petrochemical industry, coupled with GE Energy's coal-fired power knowledge, offer solutions to the power industry to meet increasing air emissions regulations."
The new product enables low detection limits and total vapor phase measurement while minimizing sample loss during transport, eliminating the need for external calibration gasses and enhancing mercury trading credits.
The analyzer and several critical components will be manufactured by PS Analytical in the United Kingdom. Final assembly and testing will occur at the GE facility in Hatfield, Pa.
PS Analytical of Orpington, Kent, United Kingdom, specializes in the ultra-low level detection of mercury, arsenic, selenium, antimony, tellurium and bismuth. Founded by Peter B. Stockwell in 1983, PS Analytical has gained an international reputation as a leader in the determination of these environmentally important elements. Matrices include water, soils, sludges, effluents and gases with customers and installations worldwide. In September 2002, PS Analytical opened its United States office in Deerfield Beach, Fla., to provide additional sales and service support to the company's U.S.-based customers.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2004 revenue of $17.3 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.
For more information, contact:
Dennis Murphy
GE Energy
+1 678 844 6948
dennis.murphy@ps.ge.com
