How in the world can four metal rods make for safe coal mines and warm homes? The immediacy of the energy crisis has led to the rediscovery of this country’s greatest natural resource coal. Billions of tons are in reserve; enough potential energy to last far into the future. But can the hazards of mining be overcome? Can coal be consumed safely without harming the environment? Some interesting studies are underway to determine solutions to both problems. .
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In the coal mine, the threat of a fire or explosion is ever-
present. Investigations of flames by direct examination of radical formations are pin-
pointing flame propagation mechanisms. The study of changes in radical concentrations, as influenced by flame temperature and the presence of various chemicals, provides valuable information for controlling mine environments. Now, effective retardants can be developed for the prevention and quick suppression of mine fires.
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Courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Mines.
Fuel for thought.
As a solid mineral, coal is impractical for large scale use. Modern homes, utilities and factories are no longer equipped to bum it, and distribution would be costly. Additionally, poor quality coals, burned in open fires, release high levels of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. Potential solutions to these problems call for conversion of coal into a pollutant-free form. Studies in coal gasification, liquification and hydrogenation are designed to find the most amenable varieties of coal and the chemical additives which might enhance the conversion and clean-up processes.
In both studies, the prime investigatory tool is mass spectrometry. Extranuclear Laboratories manufactures mass spectrometers of modular component design to serve these and other specific applications. Such innovative techniques as molecular beam modulation permit the examination and identification of not only stable chemicals but neutrals, radicals and ions as well. In coal gasification, powdered coal is heated in the absence of air to 1700° F and radicals such as H, OH, Q, and SO quantitatively measured as functions of temperature, coal type, and additive concentrations.
Modulated molecular beam mass spectrometry, as demonstrated by EMBA II, has applications in plasma and flame analysis, high temperature dissociation, radical-molecule interaction and many other areas. The unique property of the technique is its ability to monitor the chemically unstable species formed by dynamic systems spectrometry.
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a
subject untouched by conventional
mass
And the four metal rods? They’re the heart of our quadrupole mass spectrometer systems. CIRCLE 64 ON
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Extranuclear Laboratories, Inc. P0. Box 11512/ Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15238
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ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 50, NO. 4, APRIL 1978
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782-3884
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