TY - BOOK
T1 - Rapid and accurate biofuel moisture content gauging using magnetic resonance measurement technology
AU - Järvinen, Timo
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Biomass is extensively utilised in energy production and
as a raw material, such as for the production of liquid
biofuels. All those processes will benefit if the
moisture content of bio material is known in advance as
accurately as possible under transient circumstances.
Biofuel trade is increasingly based on the calorific
value of fuels. In the first step, this also increases
the need for rapid and accurate moisture content
determination. During the last few years, large biofuel
standardisation has been implemented, emphasising biofuel
quality control at all stages of the utilisation chain.
In principle, the moisture instrumental measurement can
be utilised by many technologies and procedures. Typical
techniques are infrared, radiofrequency, micro-wave,
radiometric, electrical conductivity, capacitance, and
impedance. Nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) and thermal
neutron absorption are also applied. The MR measurement
principle has been known and utilised already since the
early 1950s. It has become the basic instrumental
analysis tool in chemistry. It is also well-known as a
very accurate method for analysing most compounds,
especially substances containing hydrogen. The
utilisation of MR metering is expanded extensively to
medical diagnostics as a form of magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI). Because of the precision of the MR
principle, there have for a long time been efforts to
apply it in new and different areas, and to make more
user-friendly, smaller, and even portable devices. Such a
device was designed by Vaisala a few years ago. VTT has
utilised Vaisala`s MR prototype for approximately one
year for moisture content measurement of different
biofuels. The first step in the use of an MR device for
moisture determination was the definition of its
measurement accuracy compared to the standard method (EN
14774). Those tests proved that the absolute precision
seems to be comparable to the standard moisture content
measurement method. It was also found out that the MR
gauge was the most precise device utilised in the same
way, when compared to other alternatives. The gauge was
also reliable and easily calibrated. The biggest
challenge in using the MR prototype gauge was caused by
the volume of sample pots. The average mass of biofuel
samples reached about half of the mass presupposed by
standard EN 14774 for oven drying. Therefore, at VTT, two
separate parallel samples were applied for MR gauging,
and the average result was utilised in comparisons and
calculations. Already, Vaisala tested the prototype,
applying approximately a sample pot twice as big as that
used in the prototype, and Metso Automation has recently
realised this improvement
AB - Biomass is extensively utilised in energy production and
as a raw material, such as for the production of liquid
biofuels. All those processes will benefit if the
moisture content of bio material is known in advance as
accurately as possible under transient circumstances.
Biofuel trade is increasingly based on the calorific
value of fuels. In the first step, this also increases
the need for rapid and accurate moisture content
determination. During the last few years, large biofuel
standardisation has been implemented, emphasising biofuel
quality control at all stages of the utilisation chain.
In principle, the moisture instrumental measurement can
be utilised by many technologies and procedures. Typical
techniques are infrared, radiofrequency, micro-wave,
radiometric, electrical conductivity, capacitance, and
impedance. Nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) and thermal
neutron absorption are also applied. The MR measurement
principle has been known and utilised already since the
early 1950s. It has become the basic instrumental
analysis tool in chemistry. It is also well-known as a
very accurate method for analysing most compounds,
especially substances containing hydrogen. The
utilisation of MR metering is expanded extensively to
medical diagnostics as a form of magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI). Because of the precision of the MR
principle, there have for a long time been efforts to
apply it in new and different areas, and to make more
user-friendly, smaller, and even portable devices. Such a
device was designed by Vaisala a few years ago. VTT has
utilised Vaisala`s MR prototype for approximately one
year for moisture content measurement of different
biofuels. The first step in the use of an MR device for
moisture determination was the definition of its
measurement accuracy compared to the standard method (EN
14774). Those tests proved that the absolute precision
seems to be comparable to the standard moisture content
measurement method. It was also found out that the MR
gauge was the most precise device utilised in the same
way, when compared to other alternatives. The gauge was
also reliable and easily calibrated. The biggest
challenge in using the MR prototype gauge was caused by
the volume of sample pots. The average mass of biofuel
samples reached about half of the mass presupposed by
standard EN 14774 for oven drying. Therefore, at VTT, two
separate parallel samples were applied for MR gauging,
and the average result was utilised in comparisons and
calculations. Already, Vaisala tested the prototype,
applying approximately a sample pot twice as big as that
used in the prototype, and Metso Automation has recently
realised this improvement
KW - moisture gauging
KW - MR moisture device
KW - biofuel moisture instrumental measurement
M3 - Report
SN - 978-951-38-7974-7
T3 - VTT Technology
BT - Rapid and accurate biofuel moisture content gauging using magnetic resonance measurement technology
PB - VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
CY - Espoo
ER -