Every carbon capture project begins with a simple question: how much CO₂ did we really capture—and can we prove it?
In Canada’s growing carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry, that answer has to be defensible, not just approximate. Under the Clean Fuel Regulations: Quantification Method for CO₂ Capture and Permanent Storage, operators must provide continuous, verifiable data on CO₂ concentration, flow, and composition to demonstrate permanent storage.
For most facilities, this means that gas-stream monitoring has become as critical to financial performance as it is to environmental compliance. A small calibration drift or an unverified data gap can translate into lost carbon credits or failed audits. In short, precision isn’t just a technical requirement—it’s a revenue safeguard.
To navigate this complexity, it helps to understand what’s being measured, why it matters, and how today’s analyzers maintain the integrity of those numbers in real conditions.
What you’ll learn in this article:
- Why continuous gas monitoring is essential for compliance and revenue protection in CCS
- How Canada’s Clean Fuel Regulations define traceability requirements for captured CO₂
- Where FTIR, mass spectrometry, and laser technologies each fit in a capture loop
- Key reliability considerations for harsh process conditions
- How integrated analyzer strategies turn measurement into financial assurance
Method & Measurement.
The process gas stream of a CCS installation—from absorber outlet to compression and dehydration trains—is where the chemistry gets complex. High CO₂ concentrations, changing impurities, and variable moisture demand analyzers that can keep up in real time.
Modern facilities combine complementary measurement technologies to build a complete, defensible data chain:
Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
FTIR analyzers offer wide-spectrum coverage, capturing CO₂ along with trace species like NOx, SOx, hydrocarbons, ammonia, moisture, and CO. They’re ideal for verifying process efficiency and confirming purity before compression or dehydration.
Detect solvent degradation before it impacts capture efficiency.
The MAX-iR™ provides real-time signatures of key impurities so operators can intervene early, not after lab results arrive.
Mass spectrometry (MS)
When process optimization and fast reporting are priorities, MS brings speed and sensitivity. It delivers full composition data within seconds, allowing fine-tuned control of absorbent chemistry and compression efficiency. Multiplexing several sample points through one instrument makes it highly cost-effective per measurement point.
Get composition data fast enough to act on.
The Prima PRO delivers real-time, lab-quality gas analysis across multiple sample points to support stable, defensible CO₂ capture performance.
Tunable Diode Laser (TDL)
For selective, low-maintenance analysis, TDL technology zeroes in on key components—CO₂, CO, O₂, CH₄, and H₂O—with parts-per-million precision. Its solid-state design and alignment stability make it ideal for continuous operation in remote or outdoor shelters.
Match your TDL approach to your measurement needs.
The LaserGas II SP and LaserGas II MP deliver stable, selective data for CO₂ capture, whether you need in-situ speed or extractive sensitivity.
Gas Chromatography (GC)
Gas chromatographs can continuously sample and analyze the gas-phase composition in a carbon capture process, including CO₂, H₂ and other flue-gas components. By separating and quantifying each species in near real time, GC systems help operators track changes in solvent performance, optimize capture efficiency, and detect developing process upsets before they affect downstream equipment.
Use GC separation when you need clearer component trends.
The Valmet MAXUM II provides detailed breakdowns of CO₂, H₂ and flue-gas components to support stable capture performance.
Infrared and paramagnetic analyzers
These classic workhorses maintain long-term stability for CO₂ and O₂ verification. Their proven reliability and simplicity make them well-suited for continuous compliance monitoring, even in dusty, high-temperature plant environments.
Strengthen your CO₂ and O₂ verification with reliable continuous analyzers.
Siemens Ultramat and Oxymat analyzers provide stable CO₂ and O₂ measurements with minimal drift, supporting reliable compliance data.
Field Lesson.
In a hypothetical carbon capture pilot plant, we estimate that using an online FTIR to monitor solvent degradation indicators could prevent significant downtime caused by the data lag inherent in lab-only testing. This kind of continuous measurement lets operators respond to process changes as they happen, protecting both efficiency and data integrity. This gas-side insight works best when paired with real-time solvent-side analysis, where CO₂ loading and solvent condition drive the overall stability of the capture loop.
What to Watch.
Gas-stream analysis demands more than just accurate sensors. Success depends on:
- Stable sampling: Heated, corrosion-resistant lines to prevent condensation or absorption losses.
- Verification routines: Zero and span checks logged automatically to prove traceability.
- Integration discipline: Matching time stamps across analyzers and flow meters for audit-ready mass balance.
Ignoring these fundamentals often leads to data mismatches between flow, composition, and storage—exactly the type of inconsistency that auditors flag first.
Action Now.
If you’re planning or upgrading a CCS installation, start by mapping your analyzer network to the verification boundaries defined in the Clean Fuel Regulations. Identify where multi-component data (FTIR or MS) overlaps with selective, redundant measurements (TDL or IR). This layered approach creates defensible data and minimizes both regulatory and financial exposure.
Reflection.
The integrity of carbon capture doesn’t stop at the injection well—it starts in the sample line. Reliable process-gas measurement turns every tonne of captured CO₂ into a verified, reportable value.
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Written by Félix Lalande-Hendershot
Technical Sales Representative
Write to Félix at: lalandehf@novatech.ca
