A review of methods for measuring the gas emission for combustion analysis in industrial sector

In recent times, there is a lot of concern regarding the presence and the concentration levels of harmful gases in the earth's atmosphere due to the industrial energy combustion. Combustion occurs when fossil fuels, such as natural gas, fuel oil, coal or gasoline, react with oxygen in the air to produce heat. The heat from burning fossil fuels is used for industrial equipment such as boilers, furnaces and engines. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, meaning they are composed primarily of carbon and hydrogen. When fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) are the principle chemical products, formed from the reactants carbon and hydrogen in the fuel and oxygen (O2) in the air. The combining of oxygen in the air and carbon in the fuel to form carbon dioxide and generate heat is a complex process, requiring the right mixing turbulence, sufficient activation temperature and enough time for the reactants to come into contact and combine. Unless combustion is properly controlled, high concentrations of undesirable products can be formed. For example, carbon monoxide (CO) and soot can be formed resulting from poor fuel and air mixing or too little air. Other undesirable products, such as nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2), form in excessive amounts when the burner flame temperature is too high. If a fuel contains sulphur, sulphur dioxide gas (SO2) is formed. For solid fuels such as coal and wood, ash could be forms from incombustible materials in the fuel. The importance of energy combustion analysis is it can monitor the exhaust flue gas and atmospheric pollution from industrial emission. In order of that, this paper will give an overview on the measurement, method, and calculation of these pollutant in combustion analysis. However, it will focus on the two types of measurement techniques which are on-site emission measurement and laboratory testing measurement. The combustion analysis method offers many advantages such as improving fuel economy, reduce undesirable exhaust emissions and improve the safety of fuel burning equipment. A combustion analysis is highly recommended to be implemented in order to achieve sustainable development, especially in developing countries focusing on industrial development.