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SpectraSensors Introduces New Products for Its Laser-Based Gas Analyzers That Lower Maintenance and Operating Costs for Refinery and Chemical Plants

Posted on: Tuesday, 14 October 2008, 12:00 CDT

SpectraSensors, Inc., a leading manufacturer and supplier of precision optical laser-based gas analyzers that enable the petrochemical industry to get cleaner, better fuels to market faster, has announced the general availability of three new products designed specifically to improve process efficiency in refineries and chemical plants. Process efficiency is a highly critical yet often overlooked aspect of the environmental impacts from energy and chemical production. Improved process efficiency enables lower maintenance costs, more accurate measurements, faster response times and more economic value with fewer materials and waste.

SpectraSensors employs proprietary tunable diode laser (TDL) technology that was spun out of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1999. The company is demonstrating the new products this week in Booth #2248 at ISA EXPO 2008 at the Reliant Center in Houston.

The new products enable customers such as Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP to conduct faster and more accurate measurements of gas quality while lowering maintenance costs and substantially reducing wear-and-tear of expensive refinery and chemical plant equipment that is easily damaged. SpectraSensors' products employ TDL technology in innovative ways that avoid direct contact between the equipment and the sample, which improves speed of response and accuracy while drastically reducing the likelihood of corrosion and contamination.

"We're highly focused on solutions for refineries and chemical plants as these industries are ripe for process improvement through the application of innovative technology like TDLs," said George Balogh, CEO, SpectraSensors, Inc. "Our dedication to this market is paying off. Since 2004, we have experienced nearly 600 percent revenue growth, largely attributed to the exploding customer demand for new products that significantly speed response times and lower maintenance costs. Increasing process efficiency directly and substantially lowers the cost of doing business and improves overall energy quality while reducing negative environmental effects."

The newly announced products are:

Measurement Suite for Ethylene Production

 --  Measures moisture, ammonia and/or acetylene --  Virtually maintenance-free --  Measurements in PPM to PPB levels --  Detects poor gas quality --  Eliminates the possibility of costly damage to equipment due to faulty     sensors --  Does not require the usage of an expensive carrier gas --  TDL technology never comes into contact with the sample gas stream,     eliminating contamination and drift --  Can be used with little or no training, significantly lowering total     cost of ownership --  Aids production of polyethylene, the world's most common plastic      

Moisture and Oxygen Measurement in Chlorine (Chlor-Alkali Process)

 --  Accurate moisture/Chloride balance is essential for optimal naphtha     and hydrogen production --  On-line measurement of the impurities in chlorine (Cl2) has     traditionally been very difficult due to its corrosive nature --  Because SpectraSensors' TDL and detector are behind a protective     optical window, they never directly touch the sample --  When combined with special chlorine-resistant coatings on the sample-     wetted surfaces, the analyzer operates on-line with uncompromised     reliability --  TDL technology enables new results to appear every second, is not     affected by interferences that hamper other spectrometric approaches --  Chlorine is used in a wide variety of applications, including     sanitizing swimming pools and manufacturing polyvinyl chloride (PVC)     plastic --  Caustic soda is also used in a wide variety of applications, including     industrial cleaning chemicals      

Moisture Analysis in Hydrogen Recycle Stream of Refinery Reformer

 --  Catalytic Reformer Units of modern refineries are important process     units for converting lower octane naphtha streams into higher octane     aromatic compounds --  The catalyst is very expensive and sensitive to poisoning from water     and other compounds --  If left unchecked, moisture damages the catalyst and results in costly     replacement fees --  Traditionally, electrochemical moisture analyzers have been used to     measure moisture in the Hydrogen Recycle stream --  Unfortunately, trace hydrocarbons and HCl present in the stream     contaminate the electrochemical probes and constantly need to be replaced,     sometimes multiple times per year --  SpectraSensors' TDL technology includes a non-contact sensor that is     impervious to damage from contaminants --  Its laser-based nature means that there are no wet-up or dry-down     delays, resulting in fast updates (typically within one second) even when     the concentration changes dramatically during the regeneration of the     catalyst --  Measurement interferences from other infrared-absorbing compounds are     avoided      

About SpectraSensors, Inc.

SpectraSensors, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of optically based gas and moisture analyzers for analytical process markets. SpectraSensors uses Tunable Diode Laser (TDL) Absorption Spectroscopy in an array of products such as Ambient Air Monitoring, Moisture Analyzers (Hygrometers) and Gas Analyzers for Natural Gas Pipelines and Processors, Petrochemical Refineries and Chemical Companies. SpectraSensors' gas analyzers measure moisture (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3) and more.

 Media Contacts  Sam Miller SpectraSensors, Inc. smiller@spectrasensors.com 909-948-4106  Ted Rossman New Venture Communications trossman@newventurecom.com 914-432-7083  

SOURCE: SpectraSensors, Inc.

Source: MARKET WIRE

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