Chemical interactions in isolated coal-fired power plant plumes: conversion of sulfur dioxide to sulfate aerosols. Volume I. Plume chemistry studies

Technical Report · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5273117

Meagher, J F; Bailey, E M; Stockburger, L III

Instrumented aircraft have been used to determine the rate of oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfate aerosols within the dispersing plumes of three of the Tennessee Valley Authority's coal-fired power plants. Rate measurements have been made during each season under a wide variety of meteorological conditions. Experiments have been conducted during daylight and nighttime hours. The effect of particulate loading was examined in studies conducted under reduced electrostatic precipitator performance. Measurements of primary sulfate and sulfur dioxide were also made during some of these studies. The average oxidation rate during fall and winter was found to be 0.003 per hour (h/sup -1/). During the summer an average rate of 0.012 h/sup -1/ was found. A rapid conversion of 0.5 to 1.0% of the emitted sulfur dioxide occurs in the immediate vicinity of the power plant during all seasons. The reduction in electrostatic precipitator performance resulted in a decrease in the average conversion rate from 0.013 h/sup -1/ to 0.008 h/sup -1/. A marked diurnal variation in the near-plant conversion was observed in the plume of a power plant equipped with natural draft cooling towers and cyclone furnaces. The near-plant conversion rate was significantly higher in the afternoon when the cooling tower and power plant plumes merged than in the morning. Analysis of individual particles showed that the sulfur found in plume particles is usually associated with submicron fly ash particles. The ammonium/sulfate ion ratio was found to be higher in background samples than in plume samples. No systematic variation in this ratio with distance was distinguishable.

• Research Organization: Tennessee Valley Authority, Muscle Shoals, AL (USA). Office of Natural Resources
• OSTI ID: 5273117
• Report Number(s): TVA/ONR/ARP-82/11; ON: DE82903161
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010800 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Waste Management
010900* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AERIAL MONITORING
AEROSOL MONITORING
AEROSOL WASTES
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
ALABAMA
ASHES
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
COAL
COLLOIDS
DAILY VARIATIONS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION IV
FLY ASH
FOSSIL FUELS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
FUELS
INFORMATION
KENTUCKY
MATERIALS
METEOROLOGY
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PERFORMANCE
PLUMES
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
POWER PLANTS
RESIDUES
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SOLS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
TENNESSEE
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
VARIATIONS
WASTES