Quantitech has launched its Hydra C suite of instruments and accessories to enable analysis of mercury in stack emissions following the US EPA approved Appendix K sorbent trap method.
Mercury is a particular concern in processes that involve incineration, especially in coal-fired power plants and crematoria.
In the US, for example, all power plants larger than 25MW are required to monitor and report mercury emissions and to conduct annual relative accuracy test audits.
The Hydra C Appendix K system is a semi-continuous sampling system that uses activated carbon sorbent tubes within an in-stack, dual-tube probe to collect mercury from flue gas.
The tubes can be left in place for several hours, for up to several weeks, giving a measurement of total mercury emitted over that time period.
At the end of the sampling period, the used tube is analysed in the direct mercury analyser, which uses thermal decomposition and atomic absorption to produce results in around five minutes.
The Hydra C is simple to operate with minimal training, said Quantitech.
No sample preparation or digestion procedures are necessary and analysis is fully automated.
The instrument has an extended dynamic range and can be employed for other purposes.