Gases

SO_x / NO_x Monitoring

Sulfur and nitrogen oxides are produced in a wide range of industrial processes. Specific gases of interest include nitrate (NO₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), nitric oxide (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and sulfur trioxide (SO₃).

Nitrate is a compound used in the production of fertilizer, while nitrogen dioxide is a known air pollutant with oxidizing properties and a strong odour. Nitrogen dioxide, a poisonous gas, is used in laboratories for applications within the chemical industry. Nitrous oxide is a colourless, nonflammable, notoxic gas used as an anaesthetic in hospitals and in aerosols packaging. It can cause suffocation if inhaled in the absence of oxygen. It is a very potent greenhouse gas. Finally, nitric oxide is another poisonous gas that arises from high temperature combustion processes in the presence of nitrogen. Automobiles and fossil fuel power plants are major sources of environmental emissions. Catalytic converters are employed to mediate NO emissions from these sources. It is an important intermediate in the production of nitric acid, is used in the preparation of metal nitrosyl compounds and has some medical applications.

Sulfur Dioxide is a criteria pollutant in power plants, incinerators, smelting processes and within the cement industry. In the cement industry, SO₂ is monitored for process control. It is also produced for use as a bleaching agent in the pulp and paper industry. This gas comes with an intense smell and sour taste, as it is poisonous. Sulfur trioxide, produced as a precursor to sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) in industrial processes, is an irritant for the eyes, throat and respiratory tract in gaseous form; it also reacts readily with water, water vapour and metals (in the presence of water).

Our Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometer (DOAS) is an instrument engineered for SO_x/NO_x monitoring. It ensures accurate and rapid response to SO_x/NO_x levels. Our DOAS provides:

Reliable, accurate data
Rapid response – within tens of seconds if desired
Continuous emissions monitoring
Correction of interferences from other gases
Easy maintenance and improved process control