Fast In-Field Determination of Trace Fe Ion in Steam-Water for Safety Management of Thermal Electric Power Plants

Abstract

A fast in-field tool was proposed to detect ppb level Fe ion in the steam-water to monitor the corrosion of the pipeline in time in electric power plants. The detection method was based on fluorescent quenching of graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) at the existence of Fe ion. A piece of glass wool was used as the test strip and embedded in a microfluidic chip, while the easily removable microfluidic chip ensures a continuous rapid in-field detection and the architecture of glass wool acted as a three-dimensional porous support for well dispersive loading of GOQDs. Application specific integrated circuit was developed to enhance the sensitivity, robustness and power-efficiency of this detector and reduce its size and cost. In result, the potable fluorescence detector exhibited approximately a linear detection range from approximately 0.5 ppb to 30 ppm, a rapid response in 4 minutes and an acceptable error compared to the standard laboratory method.