US 5,271,904 AGranted

Apparatus for sensing a chemical property of a spray

AssigneeElectric Power Research Institute, Inc.

InventorsAlbert J. Esposito, Dalton, Gary M. Andes, Gerard B. Maybach

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Abstract

A sheath is used to house a conventional pH sensor within the sheath's interior. The sheath is exposed to a descending spray within a sulfur dioxide (SO.sub.2) absorber. A fill port collects a portion of the spray and the sheath accumulates the collected spray as a slurry sample within its interior. The pH sensor becomes immersed in the sample slurry. Slurry is discharged from the interior by way of drain notches and drain holes. Discharged sample slurry descends to enter a bulk slurry to allow recycling. A steady state of slurry collection and slurry discharge is reached such that the sample slurry is continuously refreshed. Elevation of the sheath over the bulk slurry prevents slurry from the bulk from entering into the slurry sample.

Claims23

Dependent claims

In an SO.sub.2 absorber comprising a vessel having a means for spraying absorber slurry disposed at an upper end of said vessel, a flue gas inlet at a lower end of said vessel, and a flue gas outlet at said upper end above said spray means, an apparatus for measuring a process control variable, said apparatus comprising:

an absorber wall defining a spray zone within said SO.sub.2 absorber vessel between said spray means and said inlet, said absorber wall having an insertion port;
a sheath inserted into said spray zone by way of said insertion port and attached to said absorber wall, said sheath having a sheath interior, a spray fill port, a slurry drain, and a sensor passage, said spray fill port positioned to collect a descending spray portion into said sheath interior by way of said spray fill port, said sheath interior adapted to accumulate a slurry sample, said slurry drain positioned to drain from said sheath interior said slurry from said sample;
a sensor having an electrode for measuring said process control variable, said sensor inserted into said sheath interior by way of said sensor passage, said electrode immersed in said slurry sample.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.