Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Arslan Kahn

Majed A Toqan

Janos M Beer

Adel F Sarofim

Jan H Thijssen

An apparatus for detecting the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the effluent of a turbulent commercial combustion system for monitoring or controlling the composition of the effluent. The apparatus is a system for directyl selectively detecting the presence in the effluent high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic compounds having five or more rings by laser induced fluorescence. The system includes an illuminating source of select fluorescence excitation of wavelengths that induces substantial fluorescence by high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the gas phase. Sampling structure is constructed to provide optical access to the effluent stream to sample the effluent stream at a select position where high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic compounds having five or more rings may be present in sufficient amounts that the fluorescence from the effluent at the select position at the excitation wavelength is predominantly from high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic compounds having five or more rings, when the high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic compounds are present in sufficient amounts. A detector detects the fluorescent signal from the illuminated effluent and an analyzer analyzes the signal to directly selectively determine the presence of the high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons having five or more rings in the effluent.

Apparatus for the detection and control of aromatic compounds in

Detecting the presence of PAC's in the effluent of a combustions system by detecting the presence of a high molecular weight PAC's having five or more rings. A position along the effluent stream is selected at which high molecular weight PAC's may be present. The effluent is illuminated with radiation having a wavelength absorbed by the high molecular weight PAC's in the gas phase. The fluorescence from the illuminated effluent is detected, and analyzed by comparison to the known fluorescence of high molecular weight PAC's in the gas phase to determine the presence of the PAC's in the effluent. The effluent composition may be controlled in response to the detection.

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Arslan Kahn