Production of sulfate aerosols in the plume of a coal-fired power plant under normal and reduced precipitator operation

Technical Report · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5480102

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

A series of field experiments were conducted at TVA's Cumberland Steam Plant to examine the effect of primary aerosol on sulfate aerosol production. Plume measurements were made using an instrumented helicopter and flue gas analyses were performed on each of the two stacks. The plume particle loading was increased during four of the experiments through a reduction in the electrostatic precipitator (ESP) capacity. The average rate of oxidation of SO/sub 2/ to SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ in the plume was found to be 0.014 +- 0.015 h/sup -1/. The average rate measured for daytime and normal ESP operation was 0.019 +- 0.015 h/sup -1/. The average nighttime rate was also 0.019 +- 0.021 h/sup -1/. The average rate measured during periods of reduced ESP operation was 0.007 +- 0.01 h/sup -1/. The relatively high night-time rates were measured just after sunset and may result from delayed reactions of free radical precursors which were produced during the day-light hours. The difference between extrapolated intercepts from aircraft measurements and flue gas sampling indicates that a region of rapid SO/sub 2/ oxidation must exist for the first few minutes after the flue gas is emitted from the stacks.

• Research Organization: Tennessee Valley Authority, Muscle Shoals, AL (USA). Office of Natural Resources
• OSTI ID: 5480102
• Report Number(s): TVA/ONR/ARP-82/6; ON: DE82901919
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
200202 -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Waste Management-- Noxious Gas & Particulate Emissions
500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AERIAL MONITORING
AEROSOLS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
COLLOIDS
DAILY VARIATIONS
DISPERSIONS
FLUE GAS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
GASEOUS WASTES
MONITORING
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUMES
POWER PLANTS
SAMPLING
SOLS
STACKS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
VARIATIONS
WASTES