MRU Instruments

The Ampro 2000 is a handheld combustion and emission analyzer, capable of using up to 5 electrochemical gas sensors. An infrared non-contact sensor (which MRU refers to as “NDIR”) can also be used with the Ampro 2000 (more on that later).

This analyzer handles all the usual industrial combustion and emission measurements and calculations. The options for electrochemical sensors are:

MRU Instruments also offers low level, high resolution versions of the CO, NO, and NO2 sensors too. Techs can also choose from two NDIR sensors: one which solely measures CO2 (up to 40%), or a dual sensor which adds combustible (CxHy) monitoring for levels up to 40,000 ppm.

Like many other industrial analyzers, the Ampro 2000 features an pump for purging the CO sensor with fresh air if concentrations reach too high, thereby extending that sensor’s life.

The Ampro 2000’s internal memory can store up to 16,000 measurements, and can transfer saved data via USB, an SD card, or Bluetooth (if the Bluetooth option is selected when ordered). The also analyzer has a zoomable 3.5” color LCD display.

A lithium-ion battery can power the Ampro 2000 for up to 15 hours on a full charge, but using the NDIR sensor shortens that to between 6 and 8 hours.

Like the Ampro 2000, the analyzers in MRU’s Nova product line are portable. Unlike the Ampro 2000, however the Nova lineup consists of benchtop analyzers, and are significantly larger. With that larger form factor comes significant upgrades.

For example, the Nova compact combustion gas analyzer is basically an all-in-one system for simultaneously measuring up to 4 gas components. Although the gas sensor selection for the Nova compact is narrower than the Ampro 2000’s (only O2, CO, low level CO, CO2, NO, low level NO, high level CO, and very high CO are available), the Nova compact includes a built-in printer. A Peltier (thermoelectric) gas cooler and a NOx/SOx filter for protecting the CO sensor can also be included.

The Nova compact can be either AC powered or run from its lithium-ion rechargeable battery. On battery power, this analyzer can last up to 10 hours, but running the optional gas cooler reduces that to 2-3 hours.

The Nova Plus is a major upgrade from the Nova compact. The Nova Plus can measure up to 8 gases at the same time (up to 5 electrochemical sensors plus a 3 gas NDIR sensor), making the Nova Plus a comprehensive industrial combustion analyzer for efficiency tuning and compliance testing.

The Nova Plus also adds optional auto-zeroing and internal sample flow monitoring. The list of available electrochemical sensors expands to include SO2 and H2S. Like the Nova compact, the Nova Plus has an optional CO2 NDIR sensor, but the Plus adds the possibility of using a 3 gas NDIR sensor instead which can measure CO (up to 10%), CO2 (max 30%) and combustibles as either methane (3% max) or propane (up to 5,000 ppm).

The Nova Plus can be ordered with one of two types of Remote Control Units (RCUs): Basic or Comfort. The Basic RCU boasts a list of features including Bluetooth communication with a base unit, wireless battery charging, and high capacity Li-ion battery (for up to 30 hours of operation). The Comfort RCU includes all the Basic features, plus an integrated manometer for differential pressure and flow, and auxillary input for use with an optional combustible hydrocarbon (HC) or humidity probe, and inputs for differential temperature.

The Vario analyzers from MRU are essentially a marriage of a portable industrial combustion analyzer with an industrial computer, and are meant for semi-continuous and long term monitoring.

Take the Vario luxx. This analzer can have up to 6 electrochemical sensors installed: O2, CO, NO, NO2, SO2, H2S, and H2—with low-level and high resolution options for NO, NO2, SO2, and H2s. The Vario lineup can also use the same 3 gas NDIR sensor as the Nova series.

The Vario luxx complies with CTM 30, CTM 34, and ASTM D6522. It also meets the MCP Directive 2015/2193 for precise measurement of toxic gas emissions, including NOx.

As we said above, the Vario industrial combustion analyzers feature an internal industrial computer, which runs a full operating system (Linux), boasts a 7" color touchscreen. The real power of the Vario luxx, however, is stems from its test data storage, data transfer, and electrical input/output (I/O) capabilities.

The Vario luxx provides a plethora of interfaces: Ethernet, Bluetooth, WiFi, and RS-485 (for Modbus). The analyzer also has 8 analog outputs and 4 analog inputs—all of them user configurable. All this connectivity and I/O makes this analyzer great for integration into custom onsite testing and monitoring systems.

The analyzer also comes with a 4 GB USB drive, which can be used for transferring saved test data logs which have been exported to CSV or PDF formats. With enough internal memory for 10,000 test records, the built-in data storage is pretty spacious as well.