Automated on-line determination of PPB levels of sodium and potassium in low-Btu coal gas and fluidized bed combustor exhaust by atomic emission spectrometry
The Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC), US Department of Energy, is involved in the development of processes and equipment for production of low-Btu gas from coal and for fluidized bed combustion of coal. The ultimate objective is large scale production of electricity using high temperature gas turbines. Such turbines, however, are susceptible to accelerated corrosion and self-destruction when relatively low concentrations of sodium and potassium are present in the driving gas streams. Knowledge and control of the concentrations of those elements, at part per billion levels, are critical to the success of both the gas cleanup procedures that are being investigated and the overall energy conversion processes. This presentation describes instrumentation and procedures developed at the Ames Laboratory for application to the problems outlined above and results that have been obtained so far at METC. The first Ames instruments, which feature an automated, dual channel flame atomic emission spectrometer, perform the sodium and potassium determinations simultaneously, repetitively, and automatically every two to three minutes by atomizing and exciting a fraction of the subject gas sample stream in either an oxyhydrogen flame or a nitrous oxide-acetylene flame. The analytical results are printed and can be transmitted simultaneously to a process control center.
- Research Organization:
- Ames Lab., IA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-82
- OSTI ID:
- 6333158
- Report Number(s):
- IS-M-330; CONF-810607-12; ON: DE81025527
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Symposium on instrumentation and control for fossil energy processes, San Francisco, CA, USA, 8 Jun 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
FLUE GAS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
GAS TURBINES
CORROSION
LOW BTU GAS
POTASSIUM
EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
SODIUM
AUTOMATION
COAL
COAL GASIFICATION
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
ELECTRIC POWER
FLUIDIZED-BED COMBUSTORS
ON-LINE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS
PROCESS CONTROL
SPECTROMETERS
ALKALI METALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTORS
CONTROL
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
GASIFICATION
MACHINERY
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
ON-LINE SYSTEMS
POWER
SPECTROSCOPY
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
WASTES
010600* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Properties & Composition
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014000 - Coal
Lignite
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010404 - Coal
Lignite
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