Safety For You With Parallel Measurements Of Ambient CO and CO₂ With Only One Instrument!

In the past we have had separate instruments to measure CO in ambient air (testo 317-3), and instruments to measure CO2 in ambient air (testo 435, testo 535, testo 480). Both CO and CO2 pose serious health hazards, if found in large quantities in the ambient atmosphere. We felt the necessity to have a single instrument to measure trace levels of CO & CO2 both and that’s how testo 315-3 was born.

CO and CO₂ concentrations occur in dangerous quantities especially in the boiler houses, heating rooms, large kitchens with gas boilers and extractor hoods, or in industry and warehousing.

Previously, often only the CO content was recorded. However, the CO₂ concentration caused by say blocked flue gas exhausts is also damaging to health. It is an important early indicator for the evaluation of a functional heating or air extraction system.

Now profit from the parallel measurement of CO-/CO₂ with only one instrument with testo’s newly launched 315-3.

The testo 315-3 can be used for ambient measurements in many areas:

• Boiler houses
• Heating rooms
• Restaurants, larger kitchens and canteens
• Ventilation and air conditioning systems
• Industry and warehousing

With testo 315-3, you can measure both values simultaneously and directly! You can conveniently ensure safety, and measure with an instrument which corresponds to the European Standard EN 50543. This standard lays down technical requirements for CO / CO₂ measuring instruments. In addition to this, the testo 315-3 corresponds to British Standard BS 6173:2009 and is TÜV-tested.

Highlights of testo 315-3:

• Parallel and direct CO-/CO₂ measurement
• Complies with European Standard 50543
• Convenient, easy operation
• Measurement values transferable to testo 330 (V2010)
• Data printout on site
• TÜV tested        

Be equipped for the future and ensure your safety.

Click here for more info, or write to you at info@testoindia.com

Optimising Combustion Efficiency in a Boiler

Getting into the basics of combustion, the ideal amount of air required to burn a given quantity of fuel is referred to, as stoichiometric  air. This is calculated based on the fuel composition. The level of mixing of air and fuel, that is required for complete combustion, is practically never achieved. If we supply the stoichiometric quantity of air for combustion, we would almost ensure that the combustion is incomplete. Hence the burners are designed with a particular level of excess air that ensures proper combustion.

Normally boilers are designed with excess air levels at around 20% for oil and gas fired unit at full load conditions.

The extra air that is supplied carries with it some heat which is not recoverable. So higher the excess air, higher are dry flue gas losses. Though a boiler is designed for a particular level of excess air, when a unit is commissioned, it is tuned to a particular load. Over a period of operation of the unit, there is a tendency for deviations from the tuned values, due to:-

- Variations in the fuel quality like density, viscosity, flash point etc

- Variations in the fuel pump outlet pressure, firing rate etc

- Normal wear and tear of fuel system components

- Vibrations

Conventionally, there is no feedback mechanism to regulate the combustion air inflow, to account for the variations and the firing rates. Due to the above reason, we end up with high fuel consumption.

With undesired high excess air, one may end up burning extra fuel. Also the monitoring of oxygen levels is also equally important. Too low quantity of air supply will lead to unburnt/incomplete combustion and subsequently soot formation in the boiler. Thus, it is very important to optimize the air flow for efficient combustion.

The losses in a boiler are:

Stack loss or Heat loss (highest 8 to 10% in a well tuned burner)

Moisture and Hydrogen loss (depends on the fuel and hydrogen & moisture content in it), Radiation loss (about 0.5%)

Unburnt fuel loss (negligible in liquid and gaseous fuels), etc. 

When total of all the losses is subtracted from 100, we get efficiency. Typical boiler efficiency for liquid/gaseous fuels is in the range of 88 to 90%. Thus all the losses put together will be in the range of 10 to 12% of which the stack loss is around 8%. 

Thus stack loss is 67% of total losses put together, and most important to monitor.

Testo Solution: 

For combustion efficiency optimization , it is always O2, CO, and CO2 that are monitored. O2 tells us the type of combustion, either complete or incomplete. The CO levels tell us how much fine tuning is required for the air to fuel ratio.

Hence, for all small boilers, testo 320 flue gas analyzer and Testo Flue Gas Analyzer 330 LL is the best solution. While for large power plants and bigger boilers & furnaces, testo 340 - Flue gas analyzer for emission measurement in industry and testo 350 MARITIME - Exhaust gas analyzer for marine diesel engines are the right solutions. Ofcourse with O2 and CO sensors, CO2 is always calculated.

For more information, click here or write to us at info@testoindia.com.

Detecting Electrical Unbalance and Overloads with Thermography

Thermal images are an easy way to identify apparent temperature differences in industrial three-phase electrical circuits, compared to their normal operating conditions. By inspecting the thermal gradients of all three phases’ side-by-side, technicians can quickly spot performance anomalies on individual legs due to unbalance or overloading. 

Electrical unbalance can be caused by several different sources: a power delivery problem, low voltage on one leg, or an insulation resistance breakdown inside the motor windings. Even a small voltage unbalance can cause connections to deteriorate, reducing the amount of voltage supplied, while motors and other loads will draw excessive current, deliver lower torque (with associated mechanical stress), and fail sooner. A severe unbalance can blow a fuse, reducing operations down to a single phase. Meanwhile, the unbalanced current will return on the neutral, causing the utility to fine the facility for peak power usage. 

What to check?

Capture thermal images of all electrical panels and other high load connection points such drives, disconnects, controls and so on. Where you discover higher temperatures, follow that circuit and examine associated branches and loads. Check panels and other connections with the covers off. Ideally, you should check electrical devices when they are fully warmed up and at steady state conditions with at least 40 % of the typical load. That way, measurements can be properly  evaluated and compared to normal operating conditions. 

What to look for? 

Equal load should equate to equal temperatures. In an unbalanced load situation, the more heavily loaded phase(s) will appear warmer than the others, due to the heat generated by resistance. However, an unbalanced load, an overload, a bad connection, and a harmonic imbalance can all create a similar pattern. Measuring the electrical load is required to diagnose the problem. 

Testo Offering: 

Testo Thermal Imager 875i offers you an entry into professional thermography. It quickly and reliably quickly and reliably detects anomalies and weak spot in materials and components. Thanks to an imaging process, energy losses and cold bridges as well as damage or overheating in industrial systems are detected without contact. Whereas with other methods, cable or pipeline systems must be exposed over a large area, with testo thermal imager 875i, a single glance is enough.

Click here for more information or write to us at info@testoindia.com.

Optimise Your Indoor Climate With Easy HVAC Analysis Like Never Before !

When it comes to energy, a building is a self-contained system, which can only be optimised as a whole. 

The HVAC All-Rounder - testo 480

Testo measuring technology supports HVAC tradesmen, facility managers, architects, supply engineers, experts and energy consultants for the same.

You probably come across this situation often: employees can no longer concentrate due to a lack of fresh air. It's either draughty in the workplace or it's too hot. This results in less efficiency and high energy costs for the company. A naturally pleasant climate and air of a high hygienic quality are key to a healthy working environment. That is why air technology system (VAC system) experts measure and evaluate climate and air quality. Testo measuring technology for all relevant parameters helps you to carry out this work efficiently, safely and with time savings.

HVAC is one of the fastest growing industries in India. As the number of buildings, green buildings, greenhouses, commercial complexes, malls, hospitals, high rise buildings and offices increases, more is the requirement of HVAC.

By 2050, the International Energy Agency in Paris expects a global increase of more than 300% in building areas, –which will have to be heated, ventilated and cooled. This makes the efficient and environmentally sound use of energy even more important. Current and future legislation prescribes strict measures to reduce consumption. Companies are optimizing energy control in order to lower costs. The job of the Facility Manager is now becoming “Facility Energy Manager”.

Values for flow, temperature, humidity, pressure, illuminance, radiated heat, turbulence and CO2 concentration can be recorded with our high-end testo 480 climate measuring instrument in a single step. Its intelligent probes give you accurate measuring values, with deviations being automatically eliminated after calibration. The robust multitaskers from Testo such as testo 480 and testo 435 enable you not only to carry out measurements in compliance with standards, but also to produce professional reports quickly using PC software.

Testo offers you, as specialists, accurate, quick and easy to- use measuring instruments to ensure thermal comfort when it comes to air conditioning in work areas. That way, you ensure a constantly controlled climate in store rooms and cold rooms, in production halls and server rooms. Click here for more information or write to us at info@testoindia.com 

Typical temperature control measurements using infrared in industry:

Typical temperature control measurements using infrared in industry:

• Generators, drives, power units
• Bearing shells
• Switch cabinets
• Electronic circuits
• Bimetal shift point setting
• Heat setting, drying and laminating processes
• Running rubber tyres
• Plastics in drying and forming processes.

Typical temperature control measurements using infrared in building/air conditioning technology:

• Ventilation ducts
• Heat profiles and thermal insulation in buildings
• Localisation of cold bridges and insulation weak points.

Typical infrared applications in heating engineering:
Surface measurements on:

• Radiators, painted heating pipes
• Floor coverings, wood, cork, tiles, granite and unfinished wall surfaces for the localization of heating pipes.

Typical infrared applications in food inspection:

• Quick test in Incoming Goods or in a chest freezer.

Contact temperature measurement is...
...ideal for:

• Measurement of smooth surfaces with good thermal conductance such as all metals. In this case, contact measurement is usually also more accurate than infrared measurement.

b) Determination of core temperatures in liquids and food. 
...conditionally suitable for:

• Measurements of poor thermal conductors (for examples, see IR measurement)

A probe for contact measurement can only display correct tempera-tures if it can take on the temper-ature of the measurement body. 
With poor thermal conductors, this will mean faulty measurements or very long adjustment times until the probe has taken on the temperature of the measurement object.

• For small, low-mass parts.

Here, the contact probe draws heat from the measurement object, which influences the measurement result.

...not suitable for:

• Parts that must not be touched (see above)
• Moving parts.

Typical contact measurement applications in industry on:

• Tools for forming processes
• Drives, gearboxes, bearings

– All metal surfaces and for comparison measurement with the IR measurement, in order to be able to establish the emission level of the surface.

Typical contact measurement applications in building/air conditioning technology on:

• Ventilation ducts
• Wall surfaces.

Typical contact measurement applications in heating engineering:

• Measurement of flow/return temperature on bare copper pipes
• Radiator inspection
• Localisation of heating pipes in the floor and in walls

Typical contact measurement applications in food inspection:

• Measurement of core temperature at critical product temperatures

Summary: non-contact measurement or contact measurement – Testo's recommendation

Non-contact infrared temperature measurement is...
...ideal for measuring the surface temperatures of:

a)         Poor thermal conductors such as ceramic, plastic, rubber, wood, paper, wallpaper, plaster, textiles, organic materials, food. 
The measuring instrument measures without any retroactive effect, i.e. without any influence on the meas-urement object. The IR radiation of the measurement object is therefore always at the same speed, irrespec-tive of thermal conductance. 

b)         Materials with a high emission level, e.g. lacquer, paints, glass, minerals, tiles, stone, tar and all non-metallic materials. In this case, an emission level setting of 0.95 is usually correct. Errors due to external radiation reflected on the surface are only slight. 
c) Moving parts (provided that the material has a high emission level or a material with a defined emission level can be applied) e.g. running paper webs, rotating tyres or oxi-dised steel parts on a conveyor.
d) Parts that must not be touched such as freshly painted parts, sterilised parts or aggressive media or live parts such as electronic compo-nents, busbars and transformers. 
e) Small and low-mass parts, e.g. components and all measurement objects where a contact probe draws too much heat, thereby causing incorrect measurements.

However, you must always ensure that the measuring spot of the measuring instrument is smaller than the measurement object!
...only conditionally suitable for:
Metal oxides, as these have an emission level that is mainly dependent on the temperature (between 0.3 and 0.9).
In this case, you should either apply a substance with a defined emission level (e.g. testo emission tape order-no. 0554 0051, lacquer or oil) or determine the emission level by means of a comparisonmeasurement with a contact thermometer.

...not suitable:
For bare metals to which no materials that increase emission level such as tape, lacquer or oils can be applied. Here, a high error rate can be expected due to the high level of reflection on the measurement object surface.

Further practical tips Infrared measuring instruments

Natural objects in open air such as water, stone, earth, sand, plants, wood, etc. have emission levels between 0.8 and 0.95 in the spectral range 8 and 14 µm. If measurement is to be performed in the open air, it may be necessary to take “cold sky radiation” into account in the case of small emission levels. Wherever possible, however, this “ambient radiation” should lie in the proximity of the air temperature. This is achieved by screening the interfering radiation, e.g. with a box or an umbrella over the measuring point.
-> Measurable with Testo IR measuring instruments Glass and quartz Have high emission levels of approx. 0.90 in the wavelength range over 8 µm. Non-transmissive to IR, i.e. the glass pane is measured.

-> Measurable with Testo IR measuring instruments Plastics Are measured in the temperature range between +20 °C and +300 °C during drying and forming processes, extrusion, calendering, deep-drawing, etc. The emission level of almost all plastics is between 0.8 and 0.95, and is therefore easy to measure.
-> Measurable with Testo IR measuring instruments Transparent films Have, at certain wavelengths, a characteristic absorption band, which means that the emission level is, however, dependent on the thickness of the film. The thinner the film, the lower the emission level. Thin films are often transmissive in the IR range. Take the background into account.

-> Conditionally measurable with Testo IR measuring instruments Hot gases and flames Are “volumetric radiators with selective emission characteristics”. The measuring point is no longer planar. The average temperature value is taken from a section inside the flame. This value is also frequently influenced by furnace walls behind the flame or gases. As with transparent materials, flames and gases radiate primarily in certain spectral ranges, for example in the range around 4.3 µm (CO2 band).
-> Measurable with special instruments -> No measurable with Testo IR measuring instruments