Berner Low-pressure Impactor Research Articles

Analysis of size-fractionated coal combustion aerosols by PIXE and other analytical techniques

Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used to study the chemical composition of size-fractionated in-stack fly-ash particles emitted during coal combustion. The samples were collected before the electrostatic precipitator at a gas temperature of 120°C during the combustion of Venezuelan coal in a 81 MW capacity circulating fluidized bed boiler. The sampling device consisted of a Berner low pressure impactor, which was operated with a cyclone precutter. The Nuclepore polycarbonate foils, which were used as collection surfaces in the low pressure impactor, were analyzed by the three techniques and the results of common elements were critically compared. The PIXE results were systematically lower than the INAA data and the percentage difference appeared to be stage-dependent, but virtually independent upon the element. The discrepancies are most likely due to bounce-off effects, particle reentrainment and other sampling artifacts, which may make that a fraction of the aerosol particles is deposited on the impaction foils outside the section analyzed by PIXE. However, by resorting to a “mixed internal standard” approach, accurate PIXE data are obtained. Also in the comparison between the ICP-MS and the INAA data significant discrepancies were observed. These are most likely due to incomplete dissolution of the particulate material and in particular of the alumino-silicate fly-ash matrix, during the acid digestion sample preparation step for ICP-MS. It is suggested that a comparison between ICP-MS data of acid digested samples and INAA can advantageously be used to provide speciation information on the various elements. Selected examples of size distributions are presented and briefly discussed.

Study of size-fractionated coal-combustion aerosols using instrumental neutron activation analysis

The chemical composition of aerosols emitted during coal combustion was studied as a function of particle size down to 0.01 μm. The aerosol collections were carried out in a 81 MW capacity boiler that burned Venezuelan coal in a circulating fluidized bed combustion chamber. The samples were analyzed with upstream of the electrostatic precipitator using a Berner low-pressure impactor, which was quipped with a cyclone pre-cutter to avoid overloading of the first impaction stages. The samples were analyzed by INAA for up to about 40 elements. The elemental concentrations in the particulate matter for each impaction stage were plotted as a function of stage number (particle size). For the elements Na, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Ga, La and Sm, the concentration variation was limited to a factor of 2 to 4, and the concentrations of these elements were lower for the initial and final impactor stages than for the intermediate particle sizes. The variations were also limited to a factor of 2–4 for Mn, Fe, As, Sb and Th, butall these elements showed increasing concentrations with decreasing particle size. Still other elements, such as Ni, Cr, Co, Za, W, Mo and the halogens, were highly enriched (up to 20–100 fold) in the fine particles when compared with the coarse particles.

45 O 02 Measurement of atmospheric nitrate aerosol by a virtual impactor and a berner low-pressure impactor

45 O 02 Measurement of atmospheric nitrate aerosol by a virtual impactor and a berner low-pressure impactor

Atmospheric aerosol studies in southern Norway using size-fractonating smapling devices and nuclear analytical techniques

Atmospheric aerosol samples were collected during spring sampling campaigns in 1988 and 1989 at Birkenes and Nordmoen in southern Norway. The aerosol collectors used included stacked filter units (SFUs), a low volume sampler (referred to as ILVS), which consists of a filter preceded by three impaction stages, and an 11-stage Berner low-pressure impactor (LPI). All samples were analyzed for up to about 40 elements by INAA and PIXE. The resuls obtained from parallel samplings were intercompared in terms of ratios ILVS/SFU and LPI/SFU, whereby these ratios were calculated separately for the coarse and fine size fractions. For the ILVS/SFU parallel samplings, excellent agreement was observed between the results for the fine fraction, with the overall mean average ratio (based on 21 samples and 22 elements) being 0.99±0.10. For the coarse fraction, the overall mean ILVS/SFU ratio (based on 21 elements) was 0.75±0.13. This low result is explained by different upper-particle-size cut-offs of the two samplers. For the parallel samplings with LPI and SFU, the agreement was poorer, but still reasonable. The atmospheric concentrations observed at the two sites in the two campaigns and also the LPI size distributions for the various elements are discussed briefly.

On the Performance of the Berner Low Pressure Impactor

Particle collection characteristics of the compressible flow stages 1–6 of the Berner low-pressure impactor (BLPI, Hauke Aeras 25-4/0.015) have been studied. A new, real-time impactor stage efficiency measurement system has been developed. It is based on the use of two electrometers, one connected to the collection plate of the impactor, and the other to the backup filter. This method is used with singly charged, monodisperse dioctyl phthalate (DOP) particles to determine the shape of the collection efficiency curves of the BLPI. In addition, particle collection characteristics have been studied using fluorometric analysis. A new method for substrate film greasing is also introduced. Experimental cut diameters of stages 1–6, as determined with DOP particles using electrical measurement method, are 0.034, 0.066, 0.094, 0.17, 0.33, and 0.55 /un. They are clearly larger than corresponding values given by the manufacturer. The average of the square root of the Stokes number at 50% collection efficiency, based...