Evaluation of alkali concentration under conditions relevant to oxygen/natural gas glass furnaces by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

摘要

A number of industrial combustion systems are adopting oxygen-enhanced firing to improve heat transfer characteristics and reduce emissions. The exhaust gas from these systems is dominated by H{sub}2O and CO{sub}2 and therefore has substantially different gas properties from traditional combustion exhaust. In the past, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been successfully used for the qualitative evaluation of alkali aerosol concentrations in air-based combustion systems. This paper presents results of LIBS measurements of alkali concentrations in a laboratory calibration setup and in an oxygen/natural gas container glass furnace. It shows how bath gas conditions (composition and temperature) affect the LIBS signals. The paper proposes strategies for mitigating these effects in future applications of LIBS in oxygen-enhanced combustion systems.