Optimised Biofuel Management with the New Generation of Moisture Meter
Urpo Launonen, Henrik Stenlund · 2009
Moisture content of biofuel in manufacturing and process is a key parameter in maximising the biofuel yield and product quality. As an immediate byproduct, a lot of drying energy is saved when excessive drying is avoided. High level of moisture in the incoming material and final product can be detected early and production problems avoided. The new moisture meters are a new generation of advanced NIR (Near Infrared) moisture analysers. They use NIR technology measuring absorption at the 1950 nm wavelength. Extensive experience with moisture measurements has provided a new way to design and manufacture these instruments. The main benefits are fast and accurate readings over a wide range of moisture content, e.g. 0...70 % and accurate factory calibration curves. The non-touching and safe measuring light beams facilitate measurements. The portable meter requires a distance of 15 mm to the surface for best operation with a 5 mm tolerance. The major design aims for the online model were to develop a reliable, fast and accurate moisture meter with small size to suit a very large range of applications. In addition, it has a good distance and angle independence, sensing between 180 and 360 mm from the material surface and a wide range of materials to measure. The process meter is designed for continuous operation in rough conditions with integral air purge for cooling and cleaning. It has standard interfaces for connection to factory control systems. The portable meter has a display with big numbers and large keys which can be operated with gloves. It can be used in field conditions and the laboratory for up to eight hours, before recharging of batteries is required. Data logging can be done in both models by using nonvolatile memory banks and other data acquisition features. Also continuous trends can be displayed. Software is available for data archiving, statistics, reporting and graphics. Moisture content of biofuel manufacturing and process is one of the key parameter in optimising production and product quality. When excessive moisture variations materials are detected early, production problems can be minimised with minimum waste. The materials to be measured are plant particles, wood chips, sawdust, recycled paper, cellulose fibre, dry paper, textile waste, numerous fibre products and paper and board waste. This presentation will show technical information about the IRMA-7 moisture meters and analysers, design features, results and experiences from cases where pulp and paper material biofuel moisture was measured. It highlights limitations using manual laboratory meters and benefits when using NIR moisture meters. There are several units that have been used at Australian factories since mid 2006.