Study on Response Characteristic of Ionized Particle Sensor Array in Flue Gas Emission

Abstract

Power plant emissions, including PM₁, PM_2.5, PM₄, PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO, pose significant health risks. Precise sensing is crucial for identifying these sources; however, conventional detection methods are often complex and bulky, making them inadequate for detecting particulate matter in flue gases. Here, we purposed an array of eight silicon micron-column, three-electrode ionization particle sensors designed for simultaneous measurement of particulate concentrations, gas components, and temperature. In response to exhaust contaminants, high-frequency impulse voltage induces gas discharge between the electrodes, resulting in substantial positive ion production via field-induced and diffusion charging modes. The concentration gradient drives positively charged particles toward the extracting electrode, with opposing forces E₁ and E₂ accelerating ions from the ionization to the collecting region, generating collecting currents that directly measure the concentrations of both particles, and gases simultaneously. The array utilizes the nonlinear relationship between discharge current and electrode separation to measure multiple parameters, enabling the selective detection of eight contaminants. A support vector machine algorithm analyzes particle concentration values, demonstrating high sensitivity to PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, with a reference error below 10%. This cost-effective sensor array directly measures exhaust contaminants, demonstrating its potential for addressing environmental challenges.