Design of a Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy System for On-Line Quality Analysis of Pulverized Coal in Power Plants

Abstract

It is vitally important for a power plant to determine the chemical composition of coal prior to combustion in order to obtain optimal boiler control. In this work, a fully software-controlled laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system comprising a LIBS apparatus and sampling equipment has been designed for possible application to power plants for on-line quality analysis of pulverized coal. Special attention was given to the LIBS system, the data processing methods (especially the normalization with Bode Rule/DC Level) and the specific settings (the software-controlled triggering source, high-pressure gas cleaning device, sample-preparation module, sampling module, etc.), which gave the best direct measurement for C, H, Si, Na, Mg, Fe, Al, and Ti with measurement errors less than 10% for pulverized coal. Therefore, the apparatus is accurate enough to be applied to industries for on-line monitoring of pulverized coal. The method of proximate analysis was also introduced and the experimental error of Aad (Ash, ‘ad’ is an abbreviation for ‘air dried’) was shown in the range of 2.29 to 13.47%. The programmable logic controller (PLC) controlled on-line coal sampling equipment, which is designed based upon aerodynamics, and is capable of performing multipoint sampling and sample-preparation operation.