GE Vernova’s CERius Software Designed to Help Industry Gather Accurate Emissions Data and Streamline Compliance

GE Vernova recently announced its CERius emissions data collection, reporting and control software will soon be available, sometime in early 2024 according to the company. GE Vernova says the move towards net zero emissions is gaining popularity among consumers and is becoming a regulatory necessity. 

More accurate measurements help support the National Grid Group’s Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 goals, notes the company, which encompass all parts of the supply chain. The challenge is determining how much a company has moved towards net zero, or even if they will know when they’ve reached it.

 

According to GE Vernova, the challenge industry faces is not just determining how much operations have moved towards net zero, but knowing when they’ve reached it. Image used courtesy of Adobe Stock

 

Accurate Measurements

Instrumentation engineers might be prompted to say: “You can’t control what you can’t measure.” Typically, this is in reference to a process control loop. For example, maintaining the temperature of a heat-treating oven is only possible if the operator or control system knows the current temperature and can then adjust the heating source (electrical current, natural gas burner, etc). If the thermocouple that monitors the temperature fails, process control is impossible.

Extending this saying beyond easily measured variables, such as temperature, pressure, flow, and level is much more challenging. How does one measure their greenhouse gas generation, and what knobs can be adjusted to control it? A plant cannot simply capture everything from the stack, run it through a gas chromatograph, and report the results.

 

CERius Advantages

The biggest benefits of using CERius are its ability to make more accurate measurements, simulate different scenarios, and streamline compliance reporting. 

Initial testing reveals that CERius can help make 33% more accurate measurements of key metrics than existing methods. As an example, CERius can track actual fuel flow instead of the rough estimates many generating facilities use. This means that energy calculations and chemical equations can be more accurately determined, yielding a much more accurate assessment of 

The simulation tool can help facilities determine whether costly capital investments will actually help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or if it’s all just smoke. Plenty of plant improvements can look like a greener solution until the money has been spent and the results are tabulated. CERius helps minimize the risk that an upgrade will be a poor investment. By leveraging AI, many situations can be simulated without running a pilot-scale test.

CERius can ghostwrite large parts of mandatory government compliance reports with the collected data. It uses established templates and forms, and then fills in the required data, saving engineering time that is better spent finding new ways to reduce emissions. 

 

Not Just Blowing Smoke

Finding, collecting and analyzing the data to meet decarbonization goals is incredibly challenging. Companies can post pictures of employees planting trees or revise mission statements to swear a commitment to reducing pollution, but it is much more complicated for them to actually make a measurable difference. GE Vernova’s CERius system will help companies find the hard numbers needed to make real improvements.