The design and fabrication of a total organic carbon analyzer

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:7135136

Miller, J A

An automated total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer has been constructed to analyze highly contaminated wastewaters from coal gasification and liquefaction processes. These wastewaters have TOC contents of 10--20,000 mg/L, sulfide contents of 20--30,000 mg/L and ammonia contents of 1000--20,000 mg/L. Most commercial TOC analyzers require dilution of such wastewaters and/or traps and scrubbers to remove the oxides of sulfur and nitrogen that interfere with the measurement of carbon dioxide. This TOC analyzer was designed to handle these wastewaters with a minimum of sample preparation, with no traps or scrubbers and with a minimum of operator attention. The TOC analyzer uses a high temperature cobalt oxide on asbestos packed reactor for total carbon (TC) determinations and a low temperature phosphoric acid wetted quartz chip packed reactor for carbonate carbon (CC) determinations, with TOC being the difference (TOC = TC--CC). The furnace temperatures are regulated by time-proportioning temperature controllers. A mass/flow controller is used to regulate the oxygen carrier/combustion gas flow rate. The carbon dioxide produced is measured by a nondispersive single-beam infrared photometer. A commercially available laboratory automation system operates and monitors the TOC analyzer. The automation system operates the analyzer via two event control modules (ECM's). Generally 20 ..mu..L injection volumes are used and samples having carbon concentrations of 10--10,000 mg/L can be analyzed every three minutes. The signal from the infrared photometer is digitized by an analog-to-digital converter and stored by the automation system. The automation system monitors the oxygen flow rate and the TOC analyzer's power status. If a problem develops, the automation system shuts down the analyzer and notifies the operator. 30 refs., 9 figs., 11 tabs.

• Research Organization: State Univ. of New York, Oswego (USA). Research Center
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76OR00033
• OSTI ID: 7135136
• Report Number(s): DOE/OR/00033-T410; ON: DE88015643
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (M.S.). Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
CARBON DIOXIDE
MEASURING METHODS
PHOTOMETRY
CARBONATES
COAL GASIFICATION PLANTS
WASTE WATER
COAL LIQUEFACTION PLANTS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
AUTOMATION
AMMONIA
INFRARED RADIATION
SULFUR OXIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LIQUID WASTES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIATIONS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
WASTES
WATER
010404* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Gasification
010405 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Hydrogenation & Liquefaction
010600 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Properties & Composition