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USE OF THE AERODYNAMIC PARTICLE SIZER TO MEASURE PM-COARSE
Citation:
PETERS, T., R. VANDERPOOL, AND S. NATARAJAN. USE OF THE AERODYNAMIC PARTICLE SIZER TO MEASURE PM-COARSE. Presented at American Association of Aerosol Research 2005, Atlanta, GA, February 07 - 11, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
Develop and evaluate methods for the sampling and analysis of PM in ambient air, with emphasis on FRM/FEM for PMc, measurement of carbonaceous aerosols, measurement of biogenic aerosols, comparisons measurements from the STN and IMPROVE monitoring networks, and continuous methods for PM mass and its chemical components.
Description:
The aerodynamic particle sizer (APS 3321, TSI, Inc.) measures particle size distributions from 0.5 µm to 20 µm by determining the time-of-flight of individual particles in an accelerating flow field. A complete particle size distribution may be determined in a matter of seconds, making the APS ideal for assessing rapid fluctuations in atmospheric PM-coarse. Recent laboratory tests show that the APS 3321 can sample PM-coarse-sized particles with near 100% efficiency if they are solid; however, this efficiency becomes substantially lower for liquid droplets.
This work compared PM-coarse measurements made with 24-hr, filter-based PM samplers to that measured with the APS. Two APS 3321 instruments with PM-10 and PM-2.5 samplers were deployed in four field campaigns in three U.S. cities: Gary, IN, Riverside, CA, and Phoenix, AZ. To collect representative aerosol samples, each APS sampled isokinetically from the downtubes of a standard 16.7-Lpm, FRM PM-10 inlet. In addition to comparing 24-hr measurements, the APS data were investigated to observe trends in temporal and size variability of the PM-coarse aerosol.
Although this work was reviewed by EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy. Mention of trade names of commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.