URAS is the first gas analyzer to use infrared measurement technology to detect gas composition in real time
Today, URAS is widely used by industrial companies that require accurate gas measurements to meet environmental emission standards
Since 1938, URAS has been a benchmark for strict compliance with environmental regulationsABB is celebrating 85 years of innovation in gas analysis and emissions monitoring technology, which is widely used in chemical, oil refining, pulp, paper and metallurgy, power, cement and other sectors.

When URAS was introduced in 1938, it was known as the first “Ultra Rot Absorptions Schreiber” (German: Ultra Rot Absorptions Schreiber), a continuous gas analyzer capable of measuring the concentration of more than 100 gases in real time through infrared spectroscopy (light absorption technology).

Ben Goossens, business unit of ABB’s Measurement and Analytics business, said: “This technology has been transformative since the day it was invented. Today, it provides a benchmark for corporate environmental compliance. Many factories around the world use URAS to monitor emissions and protect the environment.”

705-1512-01

705-1512-01

URAS is used by industrial companies around the world as a key solution to ensure environmental compliance. Because of its long-term stable monitoring operation, it is widely used for continuous monitoring of industrial chimney exhaust emissions. It can also measure a ship’s gas emissions, helping shipping companies comply with environmental regulations.

As a continuous gas analyzer, URAS also has a wide range of applications outside of industry – such as helping doctors save more lives by measuring carbon dioxide levels in diagnostic breath tests, and monitoring the ripening process of bananas during transportation by analyzing ethylene concentrations.

In 1996, URAS was used as the basis for the ABB Advance Optima series of modular analyzers, which unified all types of gas analyzers in a single design. Thus, URAS became the first network analyzer to have its own IP address. This was the beginning of the digitization of analyzer technology.

Ben Goossens said: “URAS communicated digitally decades before the Internet of Things. Today, digital transformation is in full force, and URAS has been built around digital from the beginning.”

URAS was invented by German engineers Erwin Lehrer and Karl Friedrich Luft. In 1988, the technology was further improved with the addition of inflatable built-in regulating pools. The analyzer no longer requires external high-pressure standard gas cylinders, significantly reducing operating costs and significantly improving ease of use.