Reducing the cost of oxygen analysis in reactor applications

23 October 2012

When the ingredients required for pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals are mixed with solvents, the void between the top of the reactor and the liquid level can fill with highly flammable vapours posing a risk of explosion.

One way to ensure that the mixture of air and solvent vapours stays below flammable levels is to use a nitrogen purge. By accurately monitoring the oxygen level in the reactor, the nitrogen feed can be shut down when the O2 level is safe. By ensuring that this level is not exceeded, operational costs are reduced while ensuring that safe operation is maintained.

The Michell Instruments XTP601 oxygen sensor is suited to use in such applications. Based on thermo-paramagnetic sensor technology, it is able to determine the level of oxygen in a range of background gases. The sensor an operate efficiently under various environmental conditions and is said to be insensitive to mechanical shock. It has good response time characteristics, has no consumable parts and offers accuracies of 0.02% O2 over a range of 0-1%.

The thermo-paramagnetic sensors used in the XTP601 will last the life of the instrument in normal operation. Features include enhancements such as an integrated touch-screen display that makes configuration and calibration easier and reducing the time spent maintaining the unit. The XTP601 is also said to have very low drift.