Product category:
Power Industry Process News
News Release from: Metrohm UK | Subject: PWR plant
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 28 May 2007
Determination of cations in a PWR
nuclear plant
Metrohm inline sample preconcentration coupled with inline calibrations allows trace-level determination of cations in the secondary circuit of power plant water samples for cations at sub-ppb levels
Apart from the target ions, real-life samples often contain interfering substances that complicate quantification and require time-consuming sample preparation steps like filtration, dialysis, SPE, preconcentration, etc The Professional IC system meets the analytical challenge by applying sample preconcentration
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 16 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Trace-level cation determination in PWR circuits
Trace-level determination of cations in the secondary circuit of a PWR-type nuclear power plant using ion chromatography after inline sample preparation
Tighter process control in acid pickling baths
Online ion chromatography from Metrohm has enabled tighter process control of acid pickling baths, as the final cleaning stage prior to metal plating
The determination of acidity in soft drinks
Sparkling drinks are the main cause of increasing tooth erosion among teenagers: a study in the British Dental Journal found a strong link between fizzy drink consumption and tooth erosion
A preconcentration column acts as the interface between the IC system and the MISP - Metrohm Inline Sample Preparation.
All preparation steps take place in the low-pressure part of the system, outside the IC system proper.
The cations to be analysed enter the IC system via the preconcentration column.
This arrangement is very robust, easy to configure and highly suitable for accurately determining trace level quantities (ppt) of lithium and sodium in the presence of ppm quantities of ethanolamine.
The relative standard deviations are better than 1.5%.
Carryover for metal cations is below 0.3%; recovery rates are better than 98.5%.
Thermal power plants require very large amounts of water.
Water moderates nuclear fission, works as the heat transfer medium and its expanding vapour drives the turbines to produce electricity.
In order to prevent corrosion, the water has to be maintained at a pH above 7.
In general, this is achieved by the addition of Lewis bases such as ammonia and ethanolamine.
Besides the added chemicals, also corrosive compounds such as sodium, sulphate and chloride can enter the water system of power plants.
The presence of these ions indicates intrusions of external cooling water or contamination problems due to condenser tube leaks.
An efficient water chemistry monitoring programme controls both the added and the detrimental ions, thus preventing failures and extending the operating lifetime of components in contact with water. Request a free brochure from Metrohm UK ...
• Metrohm UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Processingtalk email newsletter
• Processingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
