Low Cost Fine Particulate Stack Monitor--Physical Sciences Inc., 20 New England Business Center, Andover, MA 01810-1077; (978) 689-0003
Mr. Joseph Morency, Principal Investigator
Mr. George E. Caledonia, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-98ER82642
Amount: $74,968

The inhalation of fine particulate has recently been implicated in a number of health related problems. In light of these new findings, changes are being proposed for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter. One major source that is likely to be affected by the new regulations is coal-fired power plants. However, there is currently no method available to determine the quantity of fine particulate being emitted from these sources. This project will develop an inexpensive, rugged device for monitoring PM_2.5 particulate in process stack gases, particularly those of coal-fired utility boilers. This device will utilize the principles of optical extinction and forward scattering to determine the particle size distributions and number density, and it will be non-intrusive to the exhaust flow. Phase I will perform proof-of-concept measurements on PM_2.5 particulate generated from an existing laboratory coal combustor and will develop a conceptual design of a prototype sensor system. This data combined with computational modeling will lead to a preliminary prototype design.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefitsas described by the awardee: A device that is easy to operate, inexpensive, and easily retrofitted to exhaust stacks should dramatically lower the cost of compliance with new regulations. This device should also be applicable to a wide range of combustion equipment and may be used as an ambient monitor.