skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Process monitoring and control: Ammonia measurements in off-gases

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/552756· OSTI ID:552756
; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)
  2. Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC (United States)

This interim report describes technical progress in the development of a laser-based, real-time optical monitor for ammonia in off-gas streams from defense waste processing applications at the Savannah River Site (SRS). An optimized monitor has been fabricated by Spectrum Diagnostix using a tunable diode laser operating in the 1.55-{mu}m wavelength region. Instrument detection limits of 2-3 ppm for ammonia are demonstrated that are more than adequate for the SRS required sensitivity of 10 ppm. Laboratory research at Sandia revealed a lack of interference at the operating wavelength by other molecular species that might be present in the SRS off-gas stream. Initial tests of the ammonia monitor by Sandia were conducted at SRS using a bench-scale processing system for surrogate defense waste sludges. The results of these experiments confirmed that ammonia concentrations issuing from the ammonia-scrubber section of the bench-scale reactor were below the design limit of 10 ppm. We also found that no other molecular species in the off-gas produced observable false-positive readings from the monitor. 5 refs., 6 figs.

Research Organization:
Sandia Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
552756
Report Number(s):
SAND-97-8258; ON: DE97053781; TRN: 97:005920
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: May 1997
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English