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Clean Air: International Journal on Energy for a Clean Environment

ISSN for PRINT: 1561-4417

Institutional price:	$451.00
Issues per year:	4

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2003, Volume4

98 pages

DOI: 10.1615/InterJEnerCleanEnv.v4.i3

Issue price - $108.00

SOURCE PM_2.5 CHARACTERIZATION — INITIAL RESULTS AND SOME IMPORTANT PARAMETERS IN FINE PARTICULATE MEASUREMENT FROM OIL AND COAL COMBUSTION

S. Win Lee
CANMET Energy Technology Center, Natural Resources Canada, 1 Haanel Drive, Ottawa, Canada K1A 1M1

B. Kan
CANMET Energy Technology Center, Natural Resources Canada, 1 Haanel Drive, Ottawa, Canada K1A 1M1

ABSTRACT

The new North American ambient air quality standards introduce limits on fine particles below 2.5-micrometer size range, known as PM_2.5, due to their possible associations with adverse human health. Subsequent controversies over lack of conclusive results have reinforced the need for more scientific data on particle properties and their health effects. Fossil fuel combustion is a known source of particulate emissions and many industries will be affected by these rules. To develop effective emissions reduction measures, and to provide signature profiles for source apportionment of regional ambient pollutants, accurate identification and quantification of source emissions are essential. Existing industrial emission inventories for stationary sources are no longer adequate to deal with new regulations. A new fine particulate measurement methodology for stationary sources was recently developed using a source dilution approach. The plume-simulating method protocol promotes formation of near-ambient particulates and allowed for subsequent characterization to provide size and chemical information of PM_2.5, PM₁₀ and PM_Total fractions. Particle constituents were examined using different instrumental techniques. No. 4 type residual oil and pulverized coal combustion-derived particles showed a good mass balance agreement of particulate loading between gravimetric determination and by particle constituent analysis. The effects of variables such as relative humidity, dilution air, and fuel composition on particle formation were also studied. Increased fuel sulphur content appeared to ptomote high particulate mass emission. Diluted sample humidity has an apparent effect on particle concentration but residence time and dilution chamber size are also important contributing factors in particle condensation.