Frequently Asked Questions


  1. What is speciation?

    Speciation is the analysis of any element into its different forms: atomic and molecular. Mercury has 3 common molecules found in flue gas: HgCl2, HgO, and HgS. The Argus-Hg 2000 measures the amount of atomic mercury and the total molecular content. It does not measure each molecular component separately.


  2. What is plasma emission spectroscopy?

    Plasma emission spectroscopy is the study of plasma induced light radiation at characteristic wavelengths from atoms or molecules. The light emission is used to identify atoms and molecules.


  3. What are AES and AAS?

    AES stands for Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. It is the measurement of light emanating from atoms at their characteristic wavelengths. The light emission is induced by either plasma or light (fluorescence).
    AAS stands for atomic absorption spectroscopy. It is the measurement of the light absorption by atoms at their characteristic wavelengths.
    Both of these techniques can be used to identify atoms or molecules and estimate their concentrations.


  4. What is the Argus technology?

    The Argus technology is the Envimetrics's patented plasma source with a commercial low-resolution spectrometer to measure light emanating from the plasma. The light is used to identify and measure the quantity of atoms and molecules in gas streams. It is a very sensitive and stable detection scheme. In laboratory studies the Argus technology has measured mercury, arsenic, aluminum, cadmium, Germanium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc, and ammonia. In field measurements mercury, arsenic and selenium have been measured in flue gas streams.


  5. What is Peltier cooling?

    Peltier cooling is the use of a special solid state device that is very cold when passing electricity through it. The device has no moving parts.


  6. Why is compressed air used to clean the air filter on the sample probe?

    The sample probe has a ceramic filter that passes the flue gas but traps fly ash particles that are bigger than 1 micron in diameter. The filter will clog if it isn't cleaned. A burst of high-pressure air is used to blow the fly ash particles off the filter and out of the sample probe.