Air Pollution Measurement

Ultraviolet Fluorescence Analyzer for SO2 Measurement

- SO2 concentration is measured by the ultraviolet fluorescence method, where the

analysed sample is exposed to UV-lamp irradiation with energetic excitation of
SO2 molecule.
- With the backward conversion of the molecule into the basic energetic level,
energy as fluorescing radiation is released.
- This radiation is proportional to the sulfur dioxide concentration and is detected
by a photomultiplier.
- A typical layout of a fluorescence analyzer is given below; a UV lamp provides a
source of radiation, either continuous or pulsed, which is filtered to admit a
narrow band of light into the cell, centred at about 210 nm. The fluorescent
radiation is measured at right angles to the incident beam, using a
photomultiplier.

Chemiluminescence Analyzer for NOx Measurement

- NOx concentration is measured by a Chemiluminescence analyzer for the NO,

NO2 and NOx concentration measurement.
- The principle of this method stands on the nitrogen molecule excitation by ozone.
- With the conversion of the molecule into the basic energetic level, liberation of
radiation as Chemiluminescence occurs.

1
- This radiation is detected by a photomultiplier. The analyzer design makes
possible the acquirement of information on nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) concentrations.
- The reaction between NO and O3 is an example:

NO + O3 → NO2* + O2

NO2* → NO2 + hv

Carbon Monoxide Measurement - The Gas-Filter Correlation (GFC) Spectroscopy

- Carbon monoxide has a characteristic infrared absorption near 4.6 μm.

- The absorption of infrared radiation by the CO molecule therefore can be used to
measure CO concentration in the presence of other gases.
- The CO measurement use Nondispersive infrared (NDIR) system
- In NDIR system, no dispersive element like a prism is used to separate out the
broadband light into a narrow spectrum.
- NDIR sensors use a broadband lamp source and an optical filter to select a
narrow band spectral region that overlaps with the absorption region of the gas
of interest.
- Nondispersive infrared (NDIR) systems have several advantages. They are not
sensitive to flow rate, they require no wet chemicals, they are reasonably
independent of ambient air temperature changes, they are sensitive over wide
concentration ranges, and they have short response times.
- Further, NDIR systems may be operated by nontechnical personnel.

2
- Infrared absorption is a non-linear measurement technique, therefore necessary
to transform the basic analyzer signal into a linear output.
- The sample is drawn into through the Sample bulkhead, as shown in Figure.
- The sample flows through the optical bench. Radiation from an infrared source is
chopped and then passed through a gas filter alternating between CO and N2.
- The radiation then passes through a narrow band pass interference filter and
enters the optical bench where absorption by the sample gas occurs.
- The infrared radiation then exits the optical bench and falls on an infrared
detector.
- The CO gas filter acts to produce a reference beam that cannot be further
attenuated (lessened in amount) by CO in the sample cell.
- The N2 side of the filter wheel is transparent to the infrared radiation and
therefore produces a measure beam that can be absorbed by CO in the cell.
- Other gases do not cause modulation of the detector signal, since they absorb the
reference and measure beams equally. Thus, the GFC system responds
specifically to CO concentrations.

Schematic of GFC Monitor

3
Surface Ozone measurement by UV Photometer

- The measurement of the ozone is determined by UV absorption analysis.

- The UV photometer determines the concentration of Ozone in a sample gas at
ambient pressure by detecting the absorption of UV radiation in a glass
absorption tube. Ozone shows strong absorption of UV light at 254nm
- The ozone analyzer follows these principles and measurement techniques:
- Sample air is passed into the glass absorption tube (measurement cell).
- Within the measurement cell a single beam of UV radiation passes through the
sample and is absorbed by the Ozone.
- The solar blind vacuum photodiode detects any UV that is not absorbed.
- The strength of the UV signal being detected is proportional to the amount of UV
light being absorbed by Ozone.
- The Ozone analyzer uses the Beer-Lambert relationship to calculate the ozone
concentration.
- O3 is not the only gas that absorbs UV (254nm), SO2 and aromatic compounds
also absorb radiation at this wavelength.
- To eliminate these interferences a second cycle is performed where sample air is
passed through an ozone scrubber which allows all interfering gases through but
eliminates ozone thereby accurately measuring interfering gases effects on signal
and removing them from the sample measurement signal.

4
Air Pollution Control

- Air pollutants are of two types: gaseous and particulates.

- Gaseous pollutants are the pollutants in gas phase. They have the property of
filling any available space until their concentrations reach equilibrium by
diffusion. If the space is too large, the resulting concentration may be negligible.
- On the other hand, if space is small, the resulting concentration may reach
significant levels e.g. concentrations of carbon dioxide due to continuous running
of a motor vehicle in a closed garage.
- Particulates are finely divided solids and liquids, such as dusts, fumes, smoke, fly
ash, mist and spray.
• Dusts are small particles (1.0 to 1000 µm) of solids created from the breakup
of larger particles by operations such as crushing, grinding and blasting.
• Fumes are fine solid particles (0.03 to 0.3 µm) that condense from vapours of
solid materials.
• Smoke is unburned carbon (0.5 to 1.0 µm) that results from the incomplete
combustion of carbon containing substances.
• Fly ash (1.0 to 1000 µm) is the non-combustible particle admixed with
combustion gases in the burning of coal.

5
 • Mists are the particles (0.07 to 10 µm) formed from the condensation of liquid
vapours
• Sprays are particles (10 to 1000 µm) formed from the atomization of liquids
through nozzles.
- Air pollution control may be defined as the various measures taken to meet
certain emission standards.
- These measures may include changes in processes/raw materials or modification
of equipment.
- Another method is the installation of devices at the end of process equipment to
treat the exhaust gas stream.
- These devices are called air pollution control equipment.

Particulate Control Devices

- There are three general types of particulate control equipment:

• force-field settlers,
• fabric filters
• scrubbers
- Force-field settlers are equipments that use a field of force for the collection of
particulate.
- There are three types of force fields:
• gravitational
• centrifugal
• electrical
- Equipments that make use of gravitational field for settling particulates are called
gravitational settling chambers.
- Settlers that utilize centrifugal force for the collection of particulates are called
centrifugal collectors.
- Devices, which utilize an electric field of force to collect particulates, are called
electrostatic precipitators (ESPs).
- Fabric filters are devices that use the principle of filtration for the removal of
particulates.
- Scrubbers remove particulates from the exhaust gas stream by using water
droplets for capturing them.
- Of all the devices mentioned above, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) and the
fabric filters possess the highest collection efficiencies. Particularly, they are very
effective for the collection of small particulates.
- Other devices mentioned above are often used for pre-treatment of the effluent
gas before directing it ESPs or fabric filters.

6
- Filters – Filters remove particulate matter from the gas stream. The medium of a
filter may be made of fibrous materials like cloth, granular material like sand, a
rigid material like screen, or any mat like felt pad. Baghouse filtration system is
the most common one and is made of cotton or synthetic fibres (for low
temperatures) or glass cloth fabrics (for higher temperature up to 290oC).
- Electrostatic precipitators (ESP) - The emanating dust is charged with ions and
the ionized particulate matter is collected on an oppositely charged surface. The
particles are removed from the collection surface by occasional shaking or by
rapping the surface. ESPs are used in boilers, furnaces, and many other units of
thermal power plants, cement factories, steel plants, etc.
- Inertial collectors – It works on the principle that inertia of SPM in a gas is
higher than its solvent and as inertia is a function of the mass of the particulate
matter this device collects heavier particles more efficiently. ‘Cyclone’ is a
common inertial collector used in gas cleaning plants.
- Scrubbers – Scrubbers are wet collectors. They remove aerosols from a stream of
gas either by collecting wet particles on a surface followed by their removal, or
else the particles are wetted by a scrubbing liquid. The particles get trapped as
they travel from supporting gaseous medium across the interface to the liquid
scrubbing medium. Gaseous pollutants can be removed by absorption in a liquid
using a wet scrubber and depends on the type of the gas to be removed e.g. for
removal of sulphur dioxide alkaline solution is needed as it dissolves sulphur
dioxide. Gaseous pollutants may be absorbed on an activated solid surface like
silica gel, alumina, carbon, etc. Silica gel can remove water vapour. Condensation
allows the recovery of many by products in coal and petroleum processing
industries from their liquid effluents.

7
Air pollution control devices