AN OPTICAL TECHNIQUE FOR NON-INTRUSIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF FINE PARTICULATES IN FLUE GAS STREAMS

THE FEASIBILITY OF USING A NOVEL LIGHT SCATTERING INTENSITY RATIO TECHNIQUE FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENTS OF THE SPEED AND SIZE OF NON-SPHERICAL PARTICLES WILL BE EXAMINED IN PHASE I. THE TECHNIQUE MAKES USE OF TWO CONCENTRIC LASER BEAMS WITH DIFFERENT DIAMETERS AND THE AMPLITUDE OF THE SIGNALS FROM THE LIGHT SCATTERED BY THE PARTICLES TRAVELING THROUGH THE PROBE VOLUME TO INFER THEIR SIZE AND SPEED. THE SIZING OF IRREGULAR PARTICLES IS ACCOMPLISHED BY USING NEAR FORWARD COLLECTION OF THE SCATTERED LIGHT, IN WHICH DEPOLARIZATION OF THE SCATTERED LIGHT BY IRREGULAR PARTICLES IS NOT SIGNIFICANT, AND THE SCATTERED LIGHT INTENSITY IS ONLY SENSITIVE TO THE PROJECTED AREA OF THE PARTICLES. THE PLANNED TECHNIQUE WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO (1) SIZE BOTH SPHERICAL AND NON-SPHERICAL PARTICLES, (2) MEASURE THE PARTICLE NUMBER DENSITY AND VOLUME FLUX, AND (3) MEASURE THE PARTICLE SPEED. THE OBJECTIVES OF PHASE I ARE TO: (1) INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF USING THIS NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR NON-SPHERICAL PARTICLE SIZE MEASUREMENTS, (2) CONDUCT CALIBRATION MEASUREMENTS OF SPHERICAL AND NON-SPHERICAL PARTICLES, AND (3) STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF USING LASER DIODE TECHNOLOGIES FOR COMPACT PROBE DEVELOPMENT.