Use of On-Line Atomic Absorption in a Power Plant Environment

Westinghouse has been conducting a program to upgrade the purity of primary-loop cooling water in pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants, and a method was needed to measure cationic impurities such as calcium, magnesium, and aluminum in the 0 to 10-ppb range. After examination of alternative methods, a Perkin-Elmer Model 5000 flameless atomic absorption (AA) unit with an AS-40 auto-sampler was selected and tested on line in a nonlaboratory, auxiliary building area of an operating nuclear power plant.