Michell Instruments XTC601 gas analyser for hydrogen-cooled generators

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Michell Instruments has added an analyser dedicated to monitoring hydrogen-cooled electricity generators to its current range of moisture and oxygen analysers. The XTC601 for hydrogen-cooled generators has been designed with three phase profiles to cover all of the gas analysis requirements for operation and maintenance.

High-purity hydrogen is required for the cooling to be effective, as well as for safe operation. As it is not possibly to hermetically seal the generator set casings, too much moisture in the system not only reduces efficiency, but also introduces the risk of arcing and generator damage.

Operators also routinely purge the system with CO₂ to remove all the hydrogen safely, before carrying out scheduled maintenance.

The XTC601 for hydrogen-cooled generators has three phase profiles to cover all stages of the process: under normal operation to measure H₂ purity, where air is the contaminant; while purging H₂ with CO₂, indicating when all the H₂ has been removed from the system; and when purging CO₂ with air, to ensure that the atmosphere is safe for the engineers to work.

The analyser has three calibration maps to enable measurement in each of the above gas mixtures. Switching between them is simple using the integrated HMI or via an input from the plant control system. Having just one analyser to monitor each of the phases reduces installation costs and capital expenditure. The non-depleting sensor makes it highly cost-effective over its lifetime as there are no consumable parts to replace.