Analysis of glass and glass melts during the vitrification process of fly and bottom ashes by laser-induced plasma spectroscopy. Part I: Normalization and plasma diagnostics

For laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (LIPS) analysis of the main components (Si, Al, and Ca) in glasses utilized for vitrification of ashes from waste incineration, a normalization procedure for line ratios is presented. Even in homogeneous glass samples, considerable pulse-to-pulse variations of the plasma electronic excitation temperature and electron density were observed because of changes in the material–laser interaction. A normalization procedure is outlined using Saha–Boltzmann equilibrium relationships to include the electronic excitation temperature and density in the calibration model. As a result of the normalization, the variation of the line ratios is reduced and linear calibrations for LIPS intensity ratios versus concentration ratios are achieved. For samples with high aluminum concentrations, the analysis was hampered by self-reversal effects.