This SBIR Phase I offers a novel technology, based on Spectrally Selective Photo-Destruction (SSPD), for destruction of air pollutants in exhaust emissions from jet engine test cells (JETCs). Operations of JETCs are characterized by extremely high air flow rates containing relatively low concentration of pollutants. This combination of diluted but colossal flows poses a difficult challenge. All existing and emerging technologies treat the entire mass. Consequently, they all suffer from prohibitively high costs and impose unacceptable limitations on the operation of JETCs. In contrast, the proposed SSPD discriminatively treats only the pollutants while leaving the bulk of the flow unaffected. By judiciously applying spectrally selective light, the flow remains virtually transparent to the photons, and only the targeted pollutants are destroyed. This clever approach has great potential to be efficient and cost-effective.The overall objective is to demonstrate both technical and economical feasibility. To meet this objective, a three-task work plan is proposed. Experiments with simulated streams containing representative pollutants will be performed in a bench-scale photothermal flow reactor. Computer simulations will guide the experimental effort and will aid in optimizing the operating conditions. Lastly, Phase I results will be used to perform a cost analysis. Successful completion of phase I will provide the technical foundation for a comprehensive Phase II R&D, in which a prototype unit will be designed, constructed and tested. In addition to its implementation into all commercial and military jet engine test cells (JETCs), the proposed SSPD technology will find a wide use in the energy and environmental industries. In the energy industry, commercial applications will include air pollution control from advanced power plants fed by fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal). In the environmental remediation industry, commercial applications will include treatment of off-gas streams from soil vapor extraction, air stripping, air-sparging, thermal desorption, chemical hoods, and industrial stacks.
Keywords: Jet Engines, Test Cells, Emission Control, Nitrogen Oxides, Hazardous Air Pollutants, Volatile Organ
