Flue gas analyzer

portable

Overview
Mercury Monitoring Toolkit provides a mobile solution for on-site determination of total mercury and mercury speciation in flue gases using the sorbent trap method. The toolkit is applicable to power generation, cement, metallurgy, waste incineration and other industrial emission sources.

Includes

• OLM30B sampling system (heated probe and sampling console)
• Set of sorbent traps for total and speciation sampling
• Analytical system based on RA-915 series direct Zeeman mercury analyzers

Measurement method
Known volumes of flue gas are drawn through paired in-stack sorbent traps at a controlled flow rate. After sampling, trap sections are analyzed in the laboratory or onsite by thermal decomposition/ZAAS to determine total and speciated mercury fractions.

Features & advantages

• Conforms to US EPA Method 30B; US EPA PS 12B; HJ 917-2017; CEN/TS 17286
• Measures total mercury and distinguishes elemental and oxidized species
• Portable, field-deployable equipment with low site preparation needs
• Wide dynamic range: 0.5 to 50,000 ng mercury (absolute)
• Rapid on-site analysis: typically 2–10 minutes per sample
• No compressed carrier gases required; lower capital and operating costs vs. continuous emission monitors (CEM)
• Analytical flexibility: same system can analyze coal, ash, sludge, wastewater and sorbent samples

Sampling system (OLM30B)
The OLM30B is a compact dual-train sampling unit designed for US EPA Method 30B implementation. It supports sorbent-trap and speciation sampling with complete control and monitoring functions.

• Dual-train configuration
• Mass flow controllers for fixed flow sampling
• Vacuum gauges
• Temperature controller with thermocouple input and probe power port
• Full-length probe heating and cooling for speciation sampling

Sorbent traps
Mercury is collected on multi-section sorbent traps via a calibrated pump and heated probe. Configurations support short- and long-term sampling and speciation (separate capture of oxidized and elemental mercury). Typical traps include primary capture and breakthrough sections and can include a spiked section for QA/QC.

Analytical system & thermal decomposition technique
Lumex Instruments RA-915 series analyzers (examples: RA-915M with PYRO-915+, RA-915F, RA-915 Lab) use Zeeman atomic absorption spectroscopy (ZAAS) combined with thermal decomposition. Sorbent material is thermally decomposed; released mercury is carried into the analytical cell by ambient air and measured with Zeeman background correction for selective, rapid analysis. Closed-loop temperature control extends measurement range and prevents data loss.

Technical specifications

• Detection limit: 0.5 ng
• Measurement range: 0.5–50,000 ng (absolute)
• Typical analysis time: 2–10 minutes per sample
• Measurement capability: total mercury and speciation (elemental and oxidized)
• Standards compliance: US EPA Method 30B; US EPA PS 12B; HJ 917-2017; CEN/TS 17286
• Sampling: paired in-stack sorbent traps sampled at fixed flow rate
• Sampling system features: heated probe, sampling console, mass flow controllers, vacuum gauges, temperature controller with thermocouple input, probe power port, full-length probe heating & cooling
• Sorbent traps: multi-section design (primary, breakthrough, optional spiked section); configurations for short- and long-term and speciation sampling
• Analytical system: direct Zeeman mercury analyzer (RA-915 series: RA-915M/PYRO-915+, RA-915F, RA-915 Lab)
• No compressed gases required; portable/mobile design; lower capital and operating costs compared to CEM