Avoid Downtime: Real-Time CO Monitoring for Safer Plant Operation

Unplanned downtime in industrial facilities doesn’t just slow production — it costs money, risks safety, and compromises compliance. One often-overlooked cause? Carbon monoxide (CO) buildup.

Real-time CO monitoring gives plant operators the ability to react quickly to combustion issues, prevent damage to downstream equipment, and maintain safe working conditions. This article breaks down how continuous CO detection helps avoid costly shutdowns — and why laser-based systems offer a better way to do it.

CO Is More Than an Emission — It’s a Warning Sign

Carbon monoxide is produced whenever combustion is incomplete — meaning the fuel hasn’t had enough oxygen, heat, or residence time to burn fully. It’s a leading indicator of problems like:

• Poor burner performance

• Uneven fuel loading

• Leaks in air or gas systems

• Flame instability

And when CO builds up in enclosed ducts or systems, it can create toxic environments or, in extreme cases, explosion hazards. The key to avoiding these outcomes? Early detection.

Downtime Is Expensive. CO Monitoring Helps You Prevent It.

When high CO levels go unnoticed, they can cause:

• Trip conditions that shut down furnaces, boilers, or kilns

• Damage to filters, heat exchangers, or emissions scrubbers

• Maintenance interventions that interrupt production

With real-time CO data, operators can intervene before a small issue becomes a big one — adjusting air-fuel ratios, stabilizing flames, or correcting load conditions immediately.

Legacy CO Sensors Can’t Keep Up

Many industrial plants still rely on electrochemical or NDIR CO sensors, which struggle in harsh environments due to:

• Slow response times

• Frequent recalibrations

• Drift or interference from other gases

• Sensitivity to heat and moisture

In systems with fluctuating loads — like waste incineration, cement kilns, or steel furnaces — that kind of delay or inaccuracy can be the difference between uptime and a forced stop.

Laser-Based CO Detection: Built for Harsh Processes

Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) uses a focused laser beam to detect specific gas molecules in real-time. It’s not affected by dust, heat, or interfering gases — making it ideal for the challenges of industrial combustion.

With Beamonics’ TDLAS analyzers, you get:

✅ Instant readings (sub-second response)
✅ High accuracy at both low and high CO concentrations
✅ Zero drift, no consumables, and minimal maintenance
✅ Durability in high-dust, high-temp environments

Install them in-situ or across ducts for continuous insight without needing sampling lines or filters.

Safer Operation, Smarter Plant

Whether you’re operating a cement plant, refinery, power boiler, or waste-to-energy facility — monitoring CO in real-time gives you control. It means catching problems early, improving combustion efficiency, and protecting people and assets without interrupting production.

Looking to reduce risk and avoid downtime?
Talk to us about how Beamonics’ laser-based analyzers can help you run a safer, more reliable operation.