Trace Anion Determinations Identify Corrosive Conditions in Nuclear Power Plants

Thermo Fisher Scientific has developed an ion chromatography method for nuclear power plants (NPPs) that determines trace concentrations (less than 1 µg/L) of fluoride, chloride, and sulfate in simulated secondary feed water that contains ethanolamine, hydrazine, and polyacrylic acid in just 20 minutes.

Application Brief (AB) 151: Determination of Trace Anions in Nuclear Power Plant Secondary Feed Water Containing Polyacrylic Acid demonstrates excellent retention time and peak area reproducibilities from 69 consecutive injections of a spiked simulated sample.

In NPPs, the chemistry of the feed water must be strictly controlled to inhibit corrosion, which can damage the plant. Therefore, plant operators need a fast, sensitive, and reliable method to identify and prevent corrosive conditions in their water systems.

The approach detailed in AB 151 explains how to rapidly identify trace concentrations of target ionic impurities using an anion-exchange concentrator column to effectively eliminate the sample matrix, while the anions are trapped prior to separation on a hydroxide-selective anion-exchange column and detection by suppressed conductivity.