Lead species aerosol formation and growth in multicomponent high-temperature environments

A bench-scale system consisting of a high-temperature flow reactor was used to study aerosol formation and growth in a multicomponent system containin g lead species. The effect of chlorine on the resultant particle size distr ibution was studied by varying the chlorine to lead (Cl/Pb) ratio. The part icle size was observed to increase as the Cl/Pb ratio increases, Species su ch as laurionite and lead oxide chloride hydrate were observed at intermedi ate Cl/Pb ratios for high lead feed rates, revealing the role of hydroxide radicals in the oxidation processes and the occurrence of multicomponent nu cleation of miscible lead species. For lower lead feed rates, the number an d volume concentrations increased as the Cl/Pb ratio increased; for higher feed rates, they reached a maximum at intermediate Cl/Pb ratios, then decre ased upon a further increase of Cl/Pb ratios. Coagulation and condensation characteristic times were also calculated to study the importance of variou s mechanisms in the system. Condensation was found to be the main mechanism for aerosol growth of lead species. A two-component log-normal model incor porating three previously reported nucleation theories was used to study le ad aerosol formation and growth.