The dilemma facing many plant operators and engineers is making the right choice of equipment for their plant – in this case an opacity monitor for a power station. All the leading names are in contention, the specifications have been scrutinised, the web site checked and rated, the procession of sales people have come and gone; where do you go from here. For some, the decision to select the instrument and manufacturer is a straightforward one – biggest name, best price, highest profile or recommendation.

A more prudent way to proceed, and one that is gaining momentum is the consideration of service and running costs. To make your choice as a plant operator, based on these criteria is much more subjective and carries a high risk. One straightforward solution is to ask the people who service this equipment for their opinion. Their choice of equipment might not be the biggest name or the lowest price – but what you are really buying is 5, 8 or even 10 years of trouble-free operation.

A power plant in Indiana followed this model and opted to put the decision making in the hands of the service company. They were responsible for equipment selection, installation, operation and importantly maintenance. It is in their prime interest to make the best choice, as instrument reliability or lack of it, eats directly into profit margins on service contracts.

The decision to purchase two Model 4500 MkII+ Opacity monitors from Land Instruments was made by the service company not the plant itself. Their prime reasons for selecting this instrument fall firmly into the reliability and maintenance costs of these instruments. They may not have been the cheapest, nor the biggest name – but given the selection process they were clearly the first amongst equals. This decision does not detract from the technical quality of the product, which is as good if not better than the competing products. The product carries all the necessary US EPA approvals, backed by a large international company, established in 1947 – all of which may have been high on the plant operators tick list – but not necessarily on the service providers.

These are all questions that should rightly be asked by any thorough engineer. He has an immediate need to fulfill. The power station has a permit to emit dust to a certain level. He has to ensure the measurement data is correct and reliable, but what about field availability. This is often down to the service provider. His job is made much easier if the instrument has proven reliability, normally involving field trials over a minimum 3-month period. This trend is already common in Europe, where the two main certification bodies MCerts (UK) and TÜV (Germany) include 3-month field trials as part of their tests. Field availability has to exceed 95% over this period. The Model 4500 MkII+ and it's stable mate the 4500 Premier both exceeded 98% during these tests – in the case of the Premier it achieved 99.5%.

The Model 4500 MkII+ was the first choice in Indiana as it has been for many plants not just in the USA but also all over the world.

Phone: (215) 504 8000
Fax: (215) 504 0879
E-mail: combsales@landinstruments.net
Web: www.landinstruments.net
eProduct Number 441