Application of field portable X-ray fluorescence to the analysis of desert varnish samples in areas affected by coal-fired power plants

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Nowinski ◽  
Vernon F. Hodge ◽  
Shawn Gerstenberger
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Tracer Concentration ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Desert Varnish ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Rock Coatings ◽  
Fluorescence Spectrometer ◽  
Non Destructive

Environmental context Rock surfaces are often covered with a dark coating called desert varnish that can capture and retain air pollutants. A field portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer was used for direct non-destructive analysis of varnished rocks in the fallout zones of two coal-fired power plants. At one power plant where tracer studies had been carried out, the highest concentration of elements including Cr, As, Pb and Zn in the rock varnish samples, coincides with the peak tracer concentration locations. AbstractDesert varnish samples were collected near two coal-fired power plants to determine if the varnish contained a record of recent air pollution. Samples were collected: (1) in the fallout patterns of the shuttered Mohave Power Plant (MPP), located in Laughlin, NV; and (2) near the operating Reid-Gardner Power Plant (RGPP), just east of Las Vegas, NV. Small pieces of varnished rocks were analysed by field portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (FPXRF). Results were obtained for 15 elements: Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Hg and Pb. The FPXRF data indicate that the elements commonly found in fly ash from coal-fired power plants (e.g. Cr, Zn, As and Pb) had significantly higher concentrations in the rock coatings in relation to the unvarnished substrate rock. For one of the power plants, where tracer plume studies had been carried out, the highest concentrations in the desert varnish coincided with the peak tracer concentration locations. Thus, these elements in desert varnish hold promise for identifying those geographical regions affected by nearby power plants. However, additional samples are required to demonstrate unequivocally that the power plants are indeed the sources of these elements. Overall, it is apparent that desert varnish can be utilised as a passive environmental monitor to investigate recent air pollution (past 20–30 years) and that FPXRF can be used as a surveying tool to obtain multi-element data from a large number of samples.

Human reliability in non-destructive inspections of nuclear power plant components: modeling and analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2B) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanderley Vasconcelos ◽  
Wellington Antonio Soares ◽  
Raissa Oliveira Marques ◽  
Silvério Ferreira Silva Jr ◽  
Amanda Laureano Raso
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Human Reliability ◽  
Non Destructive ◽  
Plant Components

Non-destructive inspection (NDI) is one of the key elements in ensuring quality of engineering systems and their safe use. This inspection is a very complex task, during which the inspectors have to rely on their sensory, perceptual, cognitive, and motor skills. It requires high vigilance once it is often carried out on large components, over a long period of time, and in hostile environments and restriction of workplace. A successful NDI requires careful planning, choice of appropriate NDI methods and inspection procedures, as well as qualified and trained inspection personnel. A failure of NDI to detect critical defects in safety-related components of nuclear power plants, for instance, may lead to catastrophic consequences for workers, public and environment. Therefore, ensuring that NDI is reliable and capable of detecting all critical defects is of utmost importance. Despite increased use of automation in NDI, human inspectors, and thus human factors, still play an important role in NDI reliability. Human reliability is the probability of humans conducting specific tasks with satisfactory performance. Many techniques are suitable for modeling and analyzing human reliability in NDI of nuclear power plant components, such as FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) and THERP (Technique for Human Error Rate Prediction). An example by using qualitative and quantitative assessesments with these two techniques to improve typical NDI of pipe segments of a core cooling system of a nuclear power plant, through acting on human factors issues, is presented.

scholarly journals Elements Identification in Golden Strawberries (Physalis Peruviana L.) using Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 851
Author(s):  
Uğur Akbaba
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Functional Food ◽  
Medical Field ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Physalis Peruviana ◽  
Food Properties ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Important Health ◽  
Fluorescence Spectrometer ◽  
Non Destructive

Physalis peruviana (PP) is a popular exotic fruit due to its functional food properties. This product has a wide range of uses in the medical field, including treatments for cancer, malaria, hepatitis, dermatitis, rheumatism, weight loss, and diabetes. In this study, the PP element concentrations were investigated using a Wave Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (WDXRF). Al, Ca, Fe, Mn, P, S, Zn, Cl, K, Mg, Na, F, Si, and B were detected, and the Ca, Fe, Zn, P, Na, Mg elements were found in significant amounts. Therefore, PP has some important health elements. For example, Mg and Mn may be associated with diabetes control. WDXRF is a cheap, quick, and non-destructive technique used in the elemental analysis of plant samples.

Analysis of the Degradation Tendency of NPP Cables Using a Wireless Cable Indenting Robot

2013 ◽  
Vol 284-287 ◽  
pp. 1749-1753
Author(s):  
Kyung Nam Jang ◽  
Jong Soeg Kim ◽  
Sun Chul Jeong ◽  
Kyung Heum Park ◽  
Sung Yull Hong
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Condition Monitoring ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Accelerated Aging ◽  
Test Equipment ◽  
Testing Time ◽  
Operation Period ◽  
Non Destructive

In nuclear power plants, there are many cables that perform safety-related functions. These cables should implement condition monitoring during the operation period in the nuclear power plant, in order to assess the remaining qualified life and extend the qualified life. In this study we focused on the indenting method which can measure the hardness of the cable jacket. This method is selected because it is non-destructive and requires short testing time and small sized equipment. In order to address the problems with the existing indenting test equipment, we developed new indenting test equipment, which could automatically move on the surface of the object cable. The newly developed equipment is designed for a small-sized and light-weight robot using wireless communication in order to implement condition monitoring in a harsh environment or locations that are inaccessible to the tester. The developed wireless cable indenting robot is composed of three parts, which are mechanical and electrical hardware parts and remote-control part. In order to analyze the degradation tendency of the cable, we prepared four thermally aged specimens and one un-aged specimen. Using the developed robot, we measured the modulus of the cable jacket of each specimen. The test data showed that the modulus of the cable jacket increased linearly as the accelerated aging time increased. From these results, we can analyze the degradation trends pertaining to cables installed in nuclear power plant according to the operation period.

scholarly journals Modeling The Effect of Nitrogen Dioxide Produced In Shazand Power Plant Upon Air Pollution In Arak, Iran Using Sentinel-5 Satellite Data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Amin Ghannadi ◽  
Matin Shahri ◽  
Amir Reza Moradi
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Control Points ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Third Order ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Data Location ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Nowadays, air pollution and its negative effects on human health is regarded as one of the most fundamental problems in the world. Iran as a developing country also deals with the issue of air pollution. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as one of the air pollutants leads to serious damage to the human respiratory system. The power plants are recognized as one of the main sources of producing NO2. In this research, the effect of NO2 produced in Shazand power plant on the air pollution in Arak metropolitan area, as one of the most polluted cities in Iran will be investigated using a third-order rational mathematical model. Sentinel-5 satellite images have been applied to monitor NO2 in the study area during the two years 2020-2019. The results indicate that the proposed model has been successful to model the relationship between the amount of NO2 produced in Shazand power plant and its propagation in Arak city using a set of control points with the values of RMSE, MAE and R2 equal to 6-10×2.1, 6-10×1.3 and 0.99 respectively. The results of model validation using check points with the values of RMSE, MAE and R2 equal to6-10×1.7 , 6-10×1.1 and 0.99 respectively indicate that the model can also be applied to any data location in the study area.

scholarly journals Investigation on ash fouling formation of induced fan blade and heat exchanger surface in a 1000MW coal-fired power plant

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6 Part A) ◽  
pp. 3477-3488
Author(s):  
He-Xin Liu ◽  
Jia-Fan Xiao ◽  
Hou-Zhang Tan ◽  
Yi-Bin Wang ◽  
Fu-Xin Yang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Low Emission ◽  
Fan Blade ◽  
Main Component ◽  
Ash Fouling ◽  
Heat Exchanger Surface

The control of fouling deposition on the main equipment has always been an im-portant issue concerned by scientific research and industrial application. How-ever, severe fouling deposits on the induced fan blade and the low temperature economiser were found in a 1000 MW coal-fired power plant with ultra-low emission. The deposit samples were collected and analysed through X-ray dif-fraction spectrometer, X-ray fluorescence, elemental analyser and SEM with en-ergy dispersive spectrometers. The result shows that the deposits are mainly composed of tschermigite (NH4)Al(SO4)2 ? 12H2O, letovicite (NH4)3H(SO4)2, cal-cium sulphate CaSO4, and quartz SiO2. The ammonium sulphate is the main component of the fouling deposits. It acts as an adhesive and makes an important contribution to the deposition. The analysis shows that the ammonia slip from denitrification system and the unreasonable temperature setting are the main reasons for fouling deposition. It is suggested that the high concentration of am-monium slip at denitrification system and the rapid condensation of the sulphuric acid mist at heat exchanger should be paid more attention in coal-fired power plants.

scholarly journals Literature Review: Health Impact of Coal Combustion Emissions in Power Plant on Adult Respiratory Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Basuki Rachmat ◽  
Cita Fitria Puri ◽  
Elvi Sahara Lubis ◽  
Endang Krisnawaty ◽  
Lailatul Qomariyah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Lung Function ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Respiratory System ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Respiratory Systems

Introduction: Coal-fired power plants contribute to air pollution emissions of nearly one-third of global SO2 , 14 % of NOx , and 5 % of PM2.5. This condition could worsen adults’ respiratory health who live close to power plants; WHO estimates that COPD and LRTI cause around 18% of premature deaths related to outdoor air pollution. This literature review aims to conduct a systematic review of the health impacts of coal-fired power plant emissions on adults’ respiratory systems and explore what risk factors lead to decreased lung status. Also, to answer how risk factors influence decreased lung function in adults’ respiratory system from coal-fired power plants’ emissions. Discussion: This study used a literature study method using an online database to of various research data sources with the same topic. The searching of articles was performed based on the inclusion criteria. From an initial collection of 468 articles, after screening and considering its feasibility, four articles were obtained to serve as material for the final systematic review. The literature review showed that there had been a change in lung function of respiratory system of adults due to long-term exposure to emissions from coal-fired power plants. Factors that influence decreased lung function in adults were NOx and SO2 exposure levels, residence distance, wind direction, age, and smoking status. Conclusion: Future research should focus on improving models for assessing exposure to NOx , SO2 , PM10 and PM2.5, considering age and smoking habits in evaluating lung function.

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