Utilization of Air Cleaning Equipment In Exhaust Air Recirculation Systems

The energy crisis is providing an incentive for industry in the U. S. to conserve fuel. A major consideration is the recirculation of Industrial exhaust air to reduce energy consumption in heating or cooling work place air. Although there is a history of literature on the subject, design criteria for recirculation systems are very limited. Primary system components are air cleaning equipment and monitoring/alarm equipment. If feasibility of recirculation is established, air cleaning equipment must be selected to remove specific contaminants properly. Types of air cleaning equipment are reviewed from the standpoint of collection mechanism, equipment configuration, performance capability, and applicability to recirculation. Monitoring equipment requires significant development work to assist in safeguarding re-circulation systems and to provide worker protection.     

两种空气自动监测系统的比较

国产长光程空气自动监测系统是中国自行研制的更为先进、更具自动化的系统，24h点式仪器是老式空气检测仪器，对这两种新、老仪器的比较可以看出在运行过程中的利弊。     

Air Pollution Control Costs for Coal-to-Electricity Systems

This paper describes a comprehensive set of economic models developed to assess the air pollution control costs of alternative systems for generating electricity from coal. Models of individual system components were formulated based on engineering and statistical analyses of other detailed models and data reported in the literature for currently available technologies. The air pollution control options modeled include 4 levels of physical coal cleaning, 3 types of dry fly ash collectors, a wet limestone FGD system, and 2 options for solid waste disposal. In addition, the cost of a power plant with no air pollution controls was modeled to determine the total system cost, including energy needed to operate environmental control systems. The principal criteria guiding the development of these models were that they be (1) computationally simple and economical to use, with a minimum of detailed data requirements, (2) sensitive to variations in pollutant emission regulations, coal characteristics, and key plant design parameters, and (3) systematic, based on a specified amount of power production and the same constant dollars. Extensive sensitivity analyses and case studies performed with these models indicate excellent agreement with the results of other studies and models applicable only to individual environmental control options. Applications of these models are discussed and illustrative results presented.     

A Cost Model for Air Quality Monitoring Systems

A model was developed for remote terminal use to compare the costs of alternate designs of air quality monitoring networks with varying sophistication, ranging from totally manual to completely automated systems. Of special interest is the isolation of manual sample analysis and manual data analysis for comparison with instrumental sensors and automated data processing.

The model allows for 10 levels of sophistication, and 6 were used in sample runs. As many as 50 samplingsite locations, with three different site types, may be specified, and each site type may have any configuration of chemical and/or meteorological sensors. Amortization, labor rates, instrument costs and lifetimes, telephone line charges, and other variables are readily changed by the user as desired.

It was concluded that for systems with fewer than 20–25 sensors, fully automated systems may not be justified on cost alone, at least for producing the same data (hourly) as the manual or semiautomatic systems. (Much more than hourly data is obtained with the automated system, of course.) For larger systems, labor costs put the nonautomated systems at a disadvantage after a few years of operation.     

A Movable Laboratory for Controlled Clinical Studies of Air Pollution Exposure

The cause of the Yokkaichi asthma episode (1960-1969) has been analyzed. It Is concluded that the respiratory diseases were due not to sulfur dioxide but to concentrated sulfuric acid mists emitted from stacks of calciners of a titanium oxide manufacturing plant located windward of the residential area.     

Mobile Air Quality Monitoring Systems: Present Problems and Future Needs

This overview represents much of the discussion and summarizes many of the concerns emerging from the recent APCA Specialty Conference, “In-Situ Air Quality Monitoring from Moving Platforms.”

Users of mobile air quality monitoring systems have been hampered in their attempts to generate dependable data because of a lack of suitable instrumentation. Most equipment used in mobile systems was designed for laboratory or stationary monitoring applications and cannot cope well with the harsh environment encountered in aircraft or other mobile platforms. Only through innovative modifications have investigators been able to utilize off-the-shelf equipment. The technology exists, however, for manufacturers to build a much higher quality product if only a market incentive could be created.

This paper outlines problem areas which need to be addressed in the production of reliable “mobile quality” instrumentation, and suggests some market incentives.     

Application of Computer Controlled High Resolution Mass Spectrometry to the Analysis of Air Pollutants

An AEI-MS9 high resolution mass spectrometer interfaced with a PDP-12 digital computer has been adapted for the multicomponent analysis of air pollutants. Air sampling techniques for particulate and gaseous pollutants have been developed which are compatible with the mass spectrometric system. A single stage impactor has been designed for sampling particulate matter of particle diameters greater than 1–2 μm. The remainder of the particulate matter is collected on a glass fiber filter. Gaseous pollutants are collected on a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer (Chromosorb 102).

The particulate samples are introduced directly into the mass spectrometer utilizing a temperature programed insertion probe. Gaseous pollutants are desorbed from the copolymer directly into the mass spectrometer by heating. Analysis of composite mass spectral data is facilitated through the use of a digital computer utilizing newly developed computer programs. Final computer output yields qualitative and quantitative results for up to 300 pollutants. Organic pollutants identified in particulate matter include polycyclic aromatic compounds, alkyl chlorides, polychlorinated aromatics, substituted benzenes and organic acids. Composite quantitative results are reported for alkanes and alkenes in the following groups: C₁₅-C₃₀, C₃₀-C₅₀ and Cso-polymeric. Inorganic pollutants identified include As₄O₆, H₂SO_4/ (NH₄)₂SO₄, (NH₄)₂SO₃, NaHSO₄, NH₄NO_3/ NaNO₃, NH₄CI, SeO₂, I₂, elemental sulfur, and elemental cadmium.     

Modeling Air Flow Dynamics in Radon Mitigation Systems: A Simplified Approach

Subslab air flow dynamics provide important diagnostic information for designing optimal radon mitigation systems based on the subslab depressurization technique. In this paper, it is suggested that subslab air flow induced by a central suction point be treated as radial air flow through a porous bed contained between two impermeable disks. Next, we show that subslab air flow is most likely to be turbulent under actual field situations in houses with subslab gravel beds, while remaining laminar when soil is present under the slab. The physical significance of this model is discussed and simplified closedform equations are derived to predict pressure and flows at various distances from a single central depressurization point. A laboratory apparatus was built in order to verify our model and experimentally determine the model coefficients of the pressure drop versus flow for commonly encountered subslab gravel materials. These pressure drop coefficients can be used in conjunction with our simplified model as a rational means of assessing subslab connectivity in actual houses, which is an important aspect of the pre-mitigation diagnostic phase. Preliminary field verification results in a house with gravel under the basement slab are presented and discussed.     

Capital and Operating Costs of Selected Air Pollution Control Systems — I

This is the first installment of a 4-part series which will present capital and operating costs of selected air pollution control systems. The objective of the Series is to identify the individual component costs so that realistic system cost estimates can be determined for any specific application. In Part I, cost estimating procedures and curves are provided to develop the equipment costs for electrostatic pre-cipitators, venturi scrubbers, fabric filters, incinerators, and adsorbers.     

Models to Estimate Volatile Organic Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions from Municipal Sewer Systems

Abstract

Emissions from municipal sewers are usually omitted from hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emission inventories. This omission may result from a lack of appreciation for the potential emission impact and/or from inadequate emission estimation procedures. This paper presents an analysis and comparison of the models available to estimate volatile organic HAP (VOHAP) emissions from sewers. Comparisons were made between the different theoretical foundations of the models, as well as between the emissions predicted by the models for a single sewer component. Sewer gas concentrations predicted by the models were also compared to measured sewer gas concentrations reported in the literature. Two of the models were compared in their ability to estimate sewer VOHAP emissions for a large U. S. city using National Pollution Discharge Effluent System data for the influent wastewater to the city's municipal wastewater treatment facilities. This estimate showed that, regardless of the model used, sewer emissions are a potentially significant source of VOHAP emissions in the urban environment. The choice of model, however, is thought to be less critical to sewer emission estimates than the source of sewer wastewater VOHAP concentration data.     

Whole House Particle Removal and Clean Air Delivery Rates for In-Duct and Portable Ventilation Systems

Abstract

A novel method for determining whole house particle removal and clean air delivery rates attributable to central and portable ventilation/air cleaning systems is described. The method is used to characterize total and air-cleaner-specific particle removal rates during operation of four in-duct air cleaners and two portable air-cleaning devices in a fully instrumented test home. Operation of in-duct and portable air cleaners typically increased particle removal rates over the baseline rates determined in the absence of operating a central fan or an indoor air cleaner. Removal rates of 0.3- to 0.5-μm particles ranged from 1.5 hr^?1 during operation of an in-duct, 5-in. pleated media filter to 7.2 hr^?1 for an in-duct electrostatic air cleaner in comparison to a baseline rate of 0 hr^?1 when the air handler was operating without a filter. Removal rates for total particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM_2.5) mass concentrations were 0.5 hr^?1 under baseline conditions, 0.5 hr^?1 during operation of three portable ionic air cleaners, 1 hr^?1 for an in-duct 1-in. media filter, 2.4 hr^?1 for a single high-efficiency particle arrestance (HEPA) portable air cleaner, 4.6 hr^?1 for an in-duct 5-in. media filter, 4.7 hr^?1 during operation of five portable HEPA filters, 6.1 hr^?1 for a conventional in-duct electronic air cleaner, and 7.5 hr^?1 for a high efficiency in-duct electrostatic air cleaner. Corresponding whole house clean air delivery rates for PM_2.5 attributable to the air cleaner independent of losses within the central ventilation system ranged from 2 m³/min for the conventional media filter to 32 m³/min for the high efficiency in-duct electrostatic device. Except for the portable ionic air cleaner, the devices considered here increased particle removal indoors over baseline deposition rates.     

Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Residues From Facilities with Different Air Pollution Control Systems

Abstract

Municipal Solid Waste incinerator residues produced in two types of facilities were exhaustively characterized: granulometry, mineralogy, chemical composition, leaching behavior, and elemental distribution as a function of particle size. Air Pollution Control (APC) residues coming from a semi-dry scrubber have shown higher solubility than fly ashes originating in an Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP), as well as higher contents in volatile metals (Cd, Hg). Different metal speciation and distribution as a function of particle size have been found in fly ashes (ESP residues) and APC residues. In APC residues, heavy metals (with the exception of Hg) show a parabolic distribution with maxima in the smallest and largest particles, following the same profile as soluble salts. Metal distribution for APC residues exhibits that metals generally are not associated with silicate aluminate matrix. Results show the effect of adding lime to APC residues in metal speciation and distribution.     

Guidance for the Performance Evaluation of Three-Dimensional Air Quality Modeling Systems for Particulate Matter and Visibility

ABSTRACT

Guidance for the performance evaluation of three-dimensional air quality modeling systems for particulate matter and visibility is presented. Four levels are considered: operational, diagnostic, mechanistic, and probabilistic evaluations. First, a comprehensive model evaluation should be conducted in at least two distinct geographical locations and for several meteorological episodes. Next, streamlined evaluations can be conducted for other similar applications if the comprehensive evaluation is deemed satisfactory. In all cases, the operational evaluation alone is insufficient, and some diagnostic evaluation must always be carried out. Recommendations are provided for designing field measurement programs that can provide the data needed for such model performance evaluations.     

An Assessment of the Emissions Inventory Processing Systems EMS-2001 and SMOKE in Grid-Based Air Quality Models

Abstract

In the United States, emission processing models such as Emissions Modeling System-2001 (EMS-2001), Emissions Preprocessor System-Version 2.5 (EPS2.5), and the Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) model are currently being used to generate gridded, hourly, speciated emission inputs for urban and regional-scale photochemical models from aggregated pollutant inventories. In this study, two models, EMS-2001 and SMOKE, were applied with their default internal data sets to process a common inventory database for a high ozone (O₃) episode over the eastern United States using the Carbon Bond IV (CB4) chemical speciation mechanism. A comparison of the emissions processed by these systems shows differences in all three of the major processing steps performed by the two models (i.e., in temporal allocation, spatial allocation, and chemical speciation). Results from a simulation with a photochemical model using these two sets of emissions indicate differences on the order of ±20 ppb in the predicted 1-hr daily maximum O₃ concentrations. It is therefore critical to develop and implement more common and synchronized temporal, spatial, and speciation cross-reference systems such that the processes within each emissions model converge toward reasonably similar results. This would also help to increase confidence in the validity of photochemical grid model results by reducing one aspect of modeling uncertainty.     

Air Monitoring Reflects Air Pollution Control Activity

Air monitoring by the A.I.S.I. filter sampling device which both preceded and was concurrent with source control of particulates demonstrated air quality improvement over a ten-year period. A difference in improvement from that estimated by the pollution control agency resulted from difference in the measurement parameters.     

Air Pollution Acronyms

Abstract

Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis of the thermal flow in the combustion chamber of a solid waste incinerator provides crucial insight into the incinerator’s performance. However, the interrelation of the gas flow with the burning waste has not been adequately treated in many CFD models. A strategy for a combined simulation of the waste combustion and the gas flow in the furnace is introduced here. When coupled with CFD, a model of the waste combustion in the bed provides the inlet conditions for the gas flow field and receives the radiative heat flux onto the bed from the furnace wall and gaseous species. An unsteady one-dimensional bed model was used for the test simulation, in which the moving bed was treated as a packed bed of homogeneous fuel particles. The simulation results show the physical processes of the waste combustion and its interaction with the gas flow for various operational parameters.     

Plants Pollute Air

A recently developed photometer utilizes near-forward scattered light to count and size aerosol particles in the diameter range 0.3-17 μ. The particles are drawn through a 1-cu mm illuminated volume without entering the body of the optical chamber. Hence, purging is almost instantaneous, and number concentrations below 1,000,000/cu ft give less than 3% coincidences. The scattered light pulse from each particle is detected by a photomultiplier tube. The resultant voltage pulses are amplified, measured by a series of ten discriminator circuits, and stored in a series of ten 5-decade electronic counters. At the end of a chosen period ranging from 1/3 to 30 min, a digital printer prints the number of particles at each diameter. At the end of the printout, the procedure automatically recycles. The instrument provides ten size classifications, each successively having a width ratio of 1.5 to 1. Greater precision is seldom practical since most aerosols contain particles of different refractive index, color, and shape, all of which affect the intensity of the scattered light. Calibration is accomplished with aerosols of uniform size such as spray-dried polystyrene and other latex suspensions, supplemented by calculations based on the Mie theory of light scattering.