Measurement of sulfate aerosols from western low-rank-coal-fired boilers with FGD: results of tests at clay Boswell Unit 4

Technical Report · Wed May 06 04:00:00 EDT 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6515010· OSTI ID:6515010

Downs, Jerry L.

The average particulate removal efficiency of the module tested was 99.1 percent, as calculated from the instack filter results. The impactor total mass loading results are in good agreement with those measured with the instack filters. The size dependent particulate removal by the scrubber may be characterized by the size at 50 percent collection efficiency, or cut point of the scrubber. The cut point is about 0.35 micrometer physical diameter or about 0.7 micrometer aerodynamic diameter, which is typical for a venturi with about 13 inches water volume pressure drop. The SO/sub 2/ concentrations measured with the continuous monitors are believed to be more accurate than those measured by the plant's instruments or by wet chemical methods. On the average, based on the instack filter results, 0.47 percent of the particulate mass loading at the inlet is sulfate. At the outlet, this fraction increases to 18 percent. The absolute amount of sulfate is roughly the same at inlet and outlet. The reason for this increase in relative sulfate concentratin can be seen from the impactor results. The sulfate fraction is greatest, at both the inlet and outlet, in the size range smaller than 0.3 micrometer. This size particle is collected relatively inefficiently by the scrubber, and so remains in the flue gas. A significant fraction of this small sulfate aerosol is probably sulfuric acid formed by condensation of SO/sub 3/ with water. The inlet temperature was about equal to the acid dew point, and the outlet temperature was well below the acid dew point. It should be noted that about 99 percent of the sulfur present in the flue gas stream at the inlet and about 96 percent at the outlet was in the form of SO/sub 2/. Therefore, the potential amount of secondary sulfate aerosol was much greater than the primary sulfate aerosol present.

• Research Organization: Meteorology Research, Inc., Altadena, CA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC18-80FC10182
• OSTI ID: 6515010
• Report Number(s): DOE/FC/10182-T12; MRI-81-R1805
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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AIR POLLUTION
CASCADE IMPACTORS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL REACTION YIELD
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DATA
DESULFURIZATION
EQUIPMENT
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FILTERS
FLUE GAS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
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INORGANIC ACIDS
MONITORING
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SIZE
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
POWER PLANTS
SAMPLING
SCRUBBERS
SCRUBBING
SIZE
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
SULFURIC ACID
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WASTES
YIELDS