Aerosol Beam Focused-Laser Induced Plasma Spectrometer (ABF-LIPS) Continuous Emissions Multi-Metals Analyzer
Abstract
This report describes field testing of a novel continuous emissions metals analyzer, the Aerosol Beam-Focused Laser-Induced Plasma Spectrometer (ABF-LIPS), developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the laboratory of Dr. Meng-Dawn Cheng. Continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) provide an effective means for monitoring the level of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) in real time, potentially allowing for better control of processes and improved pollution control without relying on conservative permit limits, which are based on time-averaged integrated traditional sampling techniques with off-site laboratory determination of HAPs. The principle of operation of ABF-LIPS is a pulsed laser beam tightly focused onto an aerosol sample to ignite a plasma, which breaks down all compounds to their elemental composition. The elements in the plasma volume are vaporized, resulting in an unstable, excited state. When the atoms return from the plasma-excited state to ground, they release light at element-specific wavelengths that can be observed using time-resolved spectroscopy. The wavelengths of the emission spectra correspond to a particular element, and the amplitudes of the peaks correspond to the mass of that element. The aerosol beam focusing capability improves the detection and sensitivity of traditional laser induced plasma spectrometry by aerodynamically focusing aerosol particles to a point, increasing the local aerosol concentration and significantly improving the signal-to-noise ratio. ABF-LIPS, because of its portability, can be mounted at an emission source and requires no long sampling line, which virtually eliminates sample loss.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA573127
Entities
People
- Meng-dawn Cheng
- Nancy Ruiz
Organizations
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory