APPLICATION OF PROTON MICROPROBE ANALYSIS TO THE STUDY OF ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATION OF SINGLE FLY-ASH PARTICLES

The development and improvement of technology for the abatement of fly ash emitted by coal-fired power plants can be enhanced by an understa nding of particle formation upon coal combustion and of the collection mechanism during precipitation. This requires the chemical and physic al characterization of fly ash in terms of both bulk and single partic le properties. In this context, muPIXE and RBS analysis using a 1 mum focused beam is very successful in providing major and trace element c omposition of single particles. In the present work, fly ash particles collected at the inlet and outlet ports of the electrostatic precipit ator of a coal-fired power plant have been analysed. In particular, pa rticles with a diameter of about 1 mum, for which the collection effic iency is rather low, have been considered. Results are presented and d iscussed.