Diesel and Gas Turbine Worldwide published an article in its January-February 2012 issue on our NOx Gateway for emissions monitoring targeting the aftermarket NOx Sensors. 
We’d like to share that article with you here. (Note: Monico does not manufacture or sell the NOx Sensor, but a Gateway to translate the sensor’s output into text and assist with emissions monitoring).
Aftermarket NOx Sensor Monico NOx Gateway Targets Aftermarket Engines
Article by Brent Haight, Editor and Publisher
Monico Inc. is offering the newest in its line of monitoring products, the NOx Gateway. The Monico NOx Gateway is a simple plug-and-play protocol converter that allows users to integrate aftermarket NOx sensors with their SCADA system or control system via many different protocol.
“The NOx Gateway is a Monico J1939 Gateway that is specifically designed to deal with the Cat NOx sensor,” said Doyle Taylor, president of Houston, Texas, U.S.A., based Monico Inc. “The NOx Gateway is a retrofit device that provides an O2 signal, percent oxygen, percent NOx, temperature and a few other data points. It only provides 8 to 10 parameters but is in extremely high demand because of the large number of installed engines already in the field that do not have any kind of NOx sensor. More regulations are being issued, more reporting is being required and, especially in the industrial, stationary marketplace, more permits are being required. In the ever-changing landscape of emissions monitoring, the NOx Gateway makes cooperation with monitoring and reporting regulations easy and efficient.”
The NOx Gateway allows for the integration of aftermarket NOx sensors used with SCADA or control systems to retrieve the pertinent emissions data and communicate that data to a corporate system or store it locally with real-time stamping for later analysis. A popular example of these sensors is the Caterpillar NOx sensor and common applications are natural gas compressors and bi-fuel systems where gas is injected into diesel engines to substitute for diesel fuel.
NOx Gateway offers real-time data logging with 1 to 60 second data log intervals and provides eight-hour averages for 02 and NOx. Alerts and log files are delivered via e-mail.
“NOx averaging and data logging is done on a local 2 GB compact flash card. This is important because most regulatory agencies need logged data,” said Taylor.
Other features of the NOx Gateway include USB interface for programming, two RS-232 ports, an RS-485 port, an Ethernet port, optional digital and analog I/O modules for catalyst monitoring, and C-UL approval for Class I – Division II Groups A-D locations. Additionally, the NOx Gateway is fully compatible with the CDL Gateway to allow for monitoring, control and communication with industrial engines and generators.
The only requirement for field setup is network specific items such as an IP address or drop number. A link light will confirm proper installation. The Gateway is fully pre-configured, but minor field configurations can be accomplished through Monico’s free software, MonicoView II.
Monico Inc. specializes in pre-configured monitoring solutions for industrial engine communications. The company’s CDL Gateway products offer capabilities such as real-time data logging and SMS alerts allowing users to monitor, diagnose, and troubleshoot from anywhere in the world.
“We are automatic,” said Taylor. “This is very important. You don’t have to know what engine you have, or what controls are on that engine. The Gateway product will auto-sense everything that is acting on the engine. It can also tell you which parameters are responding on your particular engine.”
A popular application for the CDL Gateway product line is monitoring natural gas compressors used in midstream gathering and pipelines. The majority of compressors are natural gas fueled reciprocating engines driving reciprocating compressors.
“The largest market share for engines is held by Caterpillar and the largest market share for reciprocating compressors is held by Ariel,” said Taylor. “The CDL Gateway not only has the ability to monitor the Caterpillar ADEM II and ADEM III engines directly without need for intermediary devices, but can also act as a Modbus Master to gather data from the compressor controller. The most common non-PLC compressor controllers are from Altronic and FW Murphy. The CDL Gateway commonly acts as a Modbus master to the FW Murphy Centurion or Millennium products as well as to the DE-2500 and DE-3000 products from Altronic. The most common PLC based compressor controllers are from Allen Bradley, GE Fanuc and Siemens. The CDL Gateway has the unique ability to establish two-way communications with all of these brands, without any need of special drivers or modules, which allows for some very powerful communications and monitoring networks. One of the more exciting applications is the FW Murphy Centurion PLUS, which uses the CDL Gateway color touch screen HMI as the primary operator interface for the compressor system.”
Additional applications include marine propulsion, generator sets and auxiliary engines.
Read more Diesel and Gas Turbine Worldwide articles
NOx Gateway Product Page
Our thanks to Brent!
-Doyle
