Fluid choice and test standardization for magnetic regenerators operating at near room temperature

Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the performance of an active magnetic regenerator (AMR) operating near room temperature. A two-dimensional porous model is established to analyze the impact different heat transfer fluids (HTFs) have on the performance of the AMR. The internal temperature distribution and cooling capacity of the system are analyzed and the influence of the HTF discussed. The simulation results show that when mercury is substituted in place of water as the HTF, the cooling capacity can be enhanced by nearly 600%. A fluid with high conductivity, high density, and low specific heat is most suitable for use as the HTF. Furthermore, as the environmental conditions have a great impact upon the performance of the AMR, three feasible methods of standardization testing are proposed. These involve: the evaluation index under fixed test environment conditions, a maximum exergy method, and a maximum specific exergy method around the Curie temperature.     

Studies on Lower Tropospheric Aerosols over New Delhi,India Using Lidar

This study reports the altitude distribution of physical and optical properties of aerosols in the lower troposphere over the urban tropical region Delhi measured using an UV (355 nm) lidar which is capable of operating in both day and night time. It is observed that there is strong seasonal variation in the altitude (from 0.4 to 4 km) distribution of aerosols during the observation period from July 2009 to May 2010. The aerosol extinction coefficient and depolarization values range from 0.02 to 0.6 km^?1 and 0.02 to 0.05 respectively during the observation period. Relatively high aerosol extinction coefficient values were observed below 1.5 km altitude during the autumn season may be due the festivals and bio-mass burning activities. In all the seasons except winter, the aerosol loading from 0.4 km to 4 km range contributes more than 38% to the atmospheric column optical depth.     

Optical properties and size distribution of aerosols derived from simultaneous measurements with lidar, a sunphotometer, and an aureolemeter

A new method is proposed to derive the optical properties and size distribution of aerosol in an air column from simultaneous measurements of the backscattering coefficient, the optical thickness, and the solar aureole intensity with lidar, a sunphotometer, and an aureolemeter. Inasmuch as the backscattering properties and the optical thickness depend on both the complex refractive index and the size distribution, whereas the forward-scattering properties depend mainly on the size distribution, real and imaginary indices of refraction and size distributions of aerosol are retrieved from these measurements. The real and the imaginary parts of the complex refractive index of an aerosol at a wavelength of 500 nm during the period from November 1991 to March 1992 obtained in Tsukuba, Japan, were estimated to be 1.46-1.48 and 0.005-0.014, respectively. It is inferred from the size distribution and an optical thickness fraction of stratospheric aerosols in the total columnar aerosols that these results reflect the influences of stratospheric aerosols that originated from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption.     

Case Study of an Aerosol Explosion and a Method to Determine Explosion Temperatures

A failure analysis case study is presented for a two-piece aerosol containing tetrafluoroethane, commonly referred to as Refrigerant 134a. A gentleman was preparing to recharge the air conditioning system of an automobile when the bottom exploded off the aerosol container, propelling the body of the aerosol container like a rocket, which hit the man in the eye and blinded him in that eye. The aerosol was never connected to the air conditioner, therefore backpressure from the air conditioner (AC) compressor was ruled out as a cause for the explosion. The objective of the study was to determine why the aerosol exploded. Several recently developed test methods were used, including two types of heat-to-burst tests and a puncture chamber to measure the pressure-versus-temperature behavior of aerosols. More common test methods were also used, such as water bath pressure tests, hydro pressure burst tests, pneumatic pressure burst tests, hardness measurements, weight measurements, metallography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and an accident scenario recreation. A semi-empirical correlation between the hardness and weights of the container bottoms was used to determine the explosion temperature and/or pressure. This semi-empirical correlation agrees in principle with an analysis of the explosion pressures using finite-element analysis (FEA). The root cause for the explosion was determined to be a lack of strength of the bottom of the two-piece aerosol coupled with heating the aerosol to temperatures significantly above room temperature.     

Mass Spectrometry of Liquid Aniline Aerosol Particles by IR/UV Laser Irradiation

The first results are reported from a new single-particle two-color laser time-of-flight mass spectrometer, incorporating a combination of infrared (CO(2)) and UV (excimer) laser irradiation. This combination of lasers has the capability to effectively separate the desorption or evaporation step from the ionization step, thereby greatly improving the analytical capabilities of such an instrument. The results on liquid aerosols, such as aniline, show that prior evaporation of the aerosol particle with the IR laser increases the ion signal produced by the excimer laser by more than 2 orders of magnitude. In the case of nitrobenzene aerosols, the excimer laser alone produces no ions, while a very large signal is observed when the aerosol is first irradiated with the CO(2) laser. A simple model, based on the Coulomb explosion of the ionized aerosol, is used to estimate the number of ions generated by the excimer laser (～10(5) ions). Experimental evidence based on the observed time delay of protonated aniline parent ions indicates that the laser irradiation of the liquid aerosol results in a stable neutral plasma which separates into positive and negative charges only after a 100-500-ns delay.     

Stratification and Size Distribution of Aerosols Retrieved from Simultaneous Measurements with Lidar, a SunPhotometer, and an Aureolemeter

Vertical profiles of backscattering coefficients, optical thicknesses, and columnar size distributions of aerosols were obtained by simultaneous measurements with lidar, a sunphotometer, and an aureolemeter in Tsukuba, Japan, from November 1991 to December 1992. Several conspicuous characteristics were found in the relationship between aerosol size distribution and stratification. In summer an accumulation mode is dominant, and aerosols were heavily loaded in the planetary boundary layer. Turbid atmospheres with an abundance of large particles are observed in the middle troposphere in the spring. In autumn and winter the troposphere is clear so that columnar aerosol size distributions reflect stratospheric aerosols. During the observation period, volcanic aerosols that are due to the Mt. Pinatubo eruption were being loaded in the stratosphere. The mode radius in the volume size distribution of the stratospheric aerosol was observed to increase from 0.45 mum in November 1991 to 0.6 mum in October 1992, and decreased after October 1992. Total aerosol loading in the stratosphere was estimated to be maximum in the spring of 1992, minimum in the autumn of 1992, and increased again after the autumn of 1992.     

Explosion generation of microatomized liquid-drop aerosols and their evolution

The formation of a microatomized aerosol was investigated with the use of a model of an explosion atomizer based on a hydrodynamic shock tube with atomization through a clearance (nozzle). It is shown that the cavitation of the liquid subjected to atomization plays a great role in the production of a microatomized liquid-drop aerosol. A mathematical model describing the genesis of an aerosol cloud is proposed. The time of propagation of a compression wave in the liquid subjected to atomization and the time of its outflow from the atomizer were estimated, the size distribution of the aerosol particles was constructed, and the dependence of this distribution on the coagulation, evaporation, and precipitation of the aerosol particles was determined. A technique for undisturbed measurement of the genesis of an aerosol is described. Results of an experimental investigation of the dispersion parameters of an aerosol and the processes of formation and propagation of an aerosol cloud produced as a result of the explosion atomization of a liquid are presented.     

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF DUST FILTRATION IN SURFACE-TYPE NONWOVENS

Surface type nonwovens are widely used in industrial dust control. Recently, they have been utilized in some engine air filtration applications as automotive filters, heavy-duty engine self-cleaning filters or safety filters. Because of their mechanical strength and regenerative ability they are a perfect material for applications where filter replacement is a problem. On the other hand, the random distribution of fibers and needle punching may result in pinhole formation during dust loading, especially at high aerosol velocities. As a result, the seepage mechanism is common in applications involving fine solid aerosols.

In the inertia dominated region, the collection efficiency of particles depends on the adhesion probability. When particle momentum increases, the efficiency decreases. In general, there is no agreement between filtration theory and experiment when the Stokes number is greater than one.

Filter efficiency increases with dust loading when the filter medium is a good dust cake supporter. In this case, dust reentrainment, causing seepage, may occur at high aerosol velocities and pressure drops. In contrast, reentrainment in nonwovens can take place even at lower aerosol velocities and dust loadings. It is difficult to predict conditions favorable for dust reentrainment and pinhole formation. This process depends on media geometry, dust particle size distribution, and aerosol flow parameters.

This paper discusses filter performance of surface-type nonwovens exposed to polydisperse dusts. Filter efficiency and pressure drop are discussed as functions of aerosol velocity, dust loading, and dust particle size distribution.     

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF DUST FILTRATION IN SURFACE-TYPE NONWOVENS

ABSTRACT

Surface type nonwovens are widely used in industrial dust control. Recently, they have been utilized in some engine air filtration applications as automotive filters, heavy-duty engine self-cleaning filters or safety filters. Because of their mechanical strength and regenerative ability they are a perfect material for applications where filter replacement is a problem. On the other hand, the random distribution of fibers and needle punching may result in pinhole formation during dust loading, especially at high aerosol velocities. As a result, the seepage mechanism is common in applications involving fine solid aerosols.

In the inertia dominated region, the collection efficiency of particles depends on the adhesion probability. When particle momentum increases, the efficiency decreases. In general, there is no agreement between filtration theory and experiment when the Stokes number is greater than one.

Filter efficiency increases with dust loading when the filter medium is a good dust cake supporter. In this case, dust reentrainment, causing seepage, may occur at high aerosol velocities and pressure drops. In contrast, reentrainment in nonwovens can take place even at lower aerosol velocities and dust loadings. It is difficult to predict conditions favorable for dust reentrainment and pinhole formation. This process depends on media geometry, dust particle size distribution, and aerosol flow parameters.

This paper discusses filter performance of surface-type nonwovens exposed to polydisperse dusts. Filter efficiency and pressure drop are discussed as functions of aerosol velocity, dust loading, and dust particle size distribution.     

Integrating biomass, sulphate and sea-salt aerosol responses into a microphysical chemical parcel model: implications for climate studies

Aerosols are known to influence significantly the radiative budget of the Earth. Although the direct effect (whereby aerosols scatter and absorb solar and thermal infrared radiation) has a large perturbing influence on the radiation budget, the indirect effect (whereby aerosols modify the microphysical and hence the radiative properties and amounts of clouds) poses a greater challenge to climate modellers. This is because aerosols undergo chemical and physical changes while in the atmosphere, notably within clouds, and are removed largely by precipitation. The way in which aerosols are processed by clouds depends on the type, abundance and the mixing state of the aerosols concerned. A parametrization with sulphate and sea-salt aerosol has been successfully integrated within the Hadley Centre general circulation model (GCM). The results of this combined parametrization indicate a significantly reduced role, compared with previous estimates, for sulphate aerosol in cloud droplet nucleation and, consequently, in indirect radiative forcing. However, in this bicomponent system, the cloud droplet number concentration, N(d) (a crucial parameter that is used in GCMs for radiative transfer calculations), is a smoothly varying function of the sulphate aerosol loading. Apart from sea-salt and sulphate aerosol particles, biomass aerosol particles are also present widely in the troposphere. We find that biomass smoke can significantly perturb the activation and growth of both sulphate and sea-salt particles. For a fixed salt loading, N(d) increases linearly with modest increases in sulphate and smoke masses, but significant nonlinearities are observed at higher non-sea-salt mass loadings. This non-intuitive N(d) variation poses a fresh challenge to climate modellers.     

Lidar system model for use with path obscurants and experimental validation

When lidar pulses travel through a short path that includes a relatively high concentration of aerosols, scattering phenomena can alter the power and temporal properties of the pulses significantly, causing undesirable effects in the received pulse. In many applications the design of the lidar transmitter and receiver must consider adverse environmental aerosol conditions to ensure the desired performance. We present an analytical model of lidar system operation when the optical path includes aerosols for use in support of instrument design, simulations, and system evaluation. The model considers an optical path terminated with a solid object, although it can also be applied, with minor modifications, to cases where the expected backscatter occurs from nonsolid objects. The optical path aerosols are characterized by their attenuation and backscatter coefficients derived by the Mie theory from the concentration and particle size distribution of the aerosol. Other inputs include the lidar system parameters and instrument response function, and the model output is the time-resolved received pulse. The model is demonstrated and experimentally validated with military fog oil smoke for short ranges (several meters). The results are obtained with a lidar system operating at a wavelength of 0.905 microm within and outside the aerosol. The model goodness of fit is evaluated using the statistical coefficient of determination whose value ranged from 0.88 to 0.99 in this study.     

Ultrahigh mass resolution and accurate mass measurements as a tool to characterize oligomers in secondary organic aerosols

Organic aerosols are a major fraction, often more than 50%, of the total atmospheric aerosol mass. The chemical composition of the total organic aerosol mass is poorly understood, although hundreds of compounds have been identified in the literature. High molecular weight compounds have recently gained much attention because this class of compounds potentially represents a major fraction of the unexplained organic aerosol mass. Here we analyze secondary organic aerosols, generated in a smog chamber from alpha-pinene ozonolysis with ultra-high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS). About 450 compounds are detected in the mass range of m/z 200-700. The mass spectrum is clearly divided into a low molecular weight range (monomer) and a high molecular weight range, where dimers and trimers are distinguishable. Using the Kendrick mass analysis, the elemental composition of about 60% of all peaks could be determined throughout the whole mass range. Most compounds have high O:C ratios between 0.4 and 0.6. Small compounds (i.e., monomers) have a higher maximum O:C ratio than dimers and trimers, suggesting that condensation reactions with, for example, the loss of water are important in the oligomer formation process. A program developed in-house was used to determine exact mass differences between peaks in the monomer, dimer, and trimer mass range to identify potential monomer building blocks, which form the co-oligomers observed in the mass spectrum. A majority of the peaks measured in the low mass region of the spectrum (m/z < 300) is also found in the calculated results. For the first time the elemental composition of the majority of peaks over a wide mass range was determined using advanced data analysis methods for the analysis of ultra-high-resolution MS data. Possible oligomer formation mechanisms in secondary organic aerosols were investigated.     

Aerosol formation due to a dental procedure: insights leading to the transmission of diseases to the environment

As a result of the outbreak and diffusion of SARS-CoV-2, there has been a directive to advance medical working conditions. In dentistry, airborne particles are produced through aerosolization facilitated by dental instruments. To develop methods for reducing the risks of infection in a confined environment, understanding the nature and dynamics of these droplets is imperative and timely. This study provides the first evidence of aerosol droplet formation from an ultrasonic scalar under simulated oral conditions. State-of-the-art optical flow tracking velocimetry and shadowgraphy measurements are employed to quantitatively measure the flow velocity, trajectories and size distribution of droplets produced during a dental scaling process. The droplet sizes are found to vary from 5 µm to 300 µm; these correspond to droplet nuclei that could carry viruses. The droplet velocities also vary between 1.3 m s⁻¹ and 2.6 m s⁻¹. These observations confirm the critical role of aerosols in the transmission of disease during dental procedures, and provide invaluable knowledge for developing protocols and procedures to ensure the safety of both dentists and patients.     

Optical Properties of Polydispersed Atmospheric Aerosols Following Wet Removal

It is well known that size distributions of aerosols influence their optical properties. Many previous studies have focused on the optical properties of aerosols with particular weather conditions, such as haze, fog, or pollution. However, few studies have investigated the influence of precipitation on the optical properties of aerosols. In this study, the optical properties of polydispersed atmospheric aerosols following a wet removal process were investigated. For these calculations, a lognormal distribution was used to represent the raindrop size distribution and the tri-modal aerosol size distributions. Variations in aerosol size distributions and the corresponding changes an extinction coefficient caused by the wet scavenging process were quantified with different compositions of aerosols as a function of rain intensity. The results showed that the extinction coefficient decreased and the corresponding visibility was enhanced with the precipitation duration because of the precipitation scavenging. It was also shown that the rain intensity and the refractive index and size distribution of aerosols influenced the calculations of extinction coefficient of aerosols.     

Radiative transfer model for aerosols in infrared wavelengths for passive remote sensing applications

A comprehensive analytical radiative transfer model for isothermal aerosols and vapors for passive infrared remote sensing applications (ground-based and airborne sensors) has been developed. The theoretical model illustrates the qualitative difference between an aerosol cloud and a chemical vapor cloud. The model is based on two and two/four stream approximations and includes thermal emission-absorption by the aerosols; scattering of diffused sky radiances incident from all sides on the aerosols (downwelling, upwelling, left, and right); and scattering of aerosol thermal emission. The model uses moderate resolution transmittance ambient atmospheric radiances as boundary conditions and provides analytical expressions for the information on the aerosol cloud that is contained in remote sensing measurements by using thermal contrasts between the aerosols and diffused sky radiances. Simulated measurements of a ground-based sensor viewing Bacillus subtilis var. niger bioaerosols and kaolin aerosols are given and discussed to illustrate the differences between a vapor-only model (i.e., only emission-absorption effects) and a complete model that adds aerosol scattering effects.     

Measuring and Improving the Puncture Resistance of Self-Pressurized Containers

When self-pressurized containers, or aerosols, are accidentally dropped they are susceptible to puncture. The likelihood of puncture depends on the distance of the fall, the nature of the object that the aerosol might strike, the orientation of the impact, and the aerosol’s materials of construction, including microstructure. Due to the flammable nature of the propellants common to aerosols as well as other flammable contents, the accidental puncture of an aerosol has on occasion resulted in significant personal injury and property damage. While the Department of Transportation regulates several aspects of aerosol containers, there are no government regulations concerning puncture resistance. Likewise, there are no standard tests for the puncture resistance of aerosol containers. This article presents two different test methods that can be used to quantify the puncture resistance of aerosol containers. One mode of puncture is not a pure puncture, but rather an impact-induced circumferential puncture or crack. This is due to the anisotropic microstructure of the body material of most 3-piece steel aerosol containers. Experimental testing has shown that the most common type of aerosol container is highly vulnerable to impact-induced impact circumferential puncture. Free falls from a little as 20.32 cm (8 in.) onto wood pyramids are able to induce this type of puncture. This is a hidden and unexpected vulnerability inherent in most 3-piece steel aerosol containers. Experimental tests show that this susceptibility to impact-induced circumferential puncture as well as pure puncture can be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, by using container bodies with more isotropic microstructures.     

Dose assessment for inhalation intakes in complex, energetic environments: experience from the US Capstone study

Because of the lack of existing information needed to evaluate the risks from inhalation exposures to depleted uranium (DU) aerosols of US soldiers during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the US Department of Defense funded an experimental study to measure the characteristics of DU aerosols created when Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles are struck with large-caliber DU penetrators, and a dose and risk assessment for individuals present in such vehicles. This paper describes some of the difficulties experienced in dose assessment modelling of the very complex DU aerosols created in the Capstone studies, e.g. high concentrations, heterogeneous aerosol properties, non-lognormal particle size distributions, triphasic in vitro dissolution and rapid time-varying functions of both DU air concentration and particle size. The approaches used to solve these problems along with example results are presented.     

Improved understanding of atmospheric organic aerosols via innovations in soft ionization aerosol mass spectrometry

Organic molecules are a significant and highly varied component of atmospheric aerosols. Measurement of aerosol composition and improvements in our understanding of the complex chemistry involved in their formation and aging are being aided by innovations in soft ionization aerosol MS. (To listen to a podcast about this feature, please go to the Analytical Chemistry multimedia page at pubs.acs.org/page/ancham/audio/index.html.).     

国庆黄金周期间兵马俑博物馆室内气溶胶有机碳与元素碳特征

为了研究碳气溶胶,包括有机碳与元素碳对陶质文物的表面腐蚀、彩绘脱失的影响,本文中于国庆黄金周期间(10月1～14日)对兵马俑博物馆一号坑(PitNo.1)和馆外(Outdoor)进行连续两周采集的碳气溶胶进行有机碳、元素碳组分的分析。结果表明:国庆黄金周期间(10月1～7日)馆内碳气溶胶明显高于馆外,有机碳与元素碳分别为馆外的2.3与1.6倍,馆内碳气溶胶占气溶胶组分的42.1%,表明受到大量游客的影响;10月8～14日期间馆内碳气溶胶略低于馆外,且与馆外浓度变化一致。     

Remote sensing of ocean color and aerosol properties: resolving the issue of aerosol absorption

Current atmospheric correction and aerosol retrieval algorithms for ocean color sensors use measurements of the top-of-the-atmosphere reflectance in the near infrared, where the contribution from the ocean is known for case 1 waters, to assess the aerosol optical properties. Such measurements are incapable of distinguishing between weakly and strongly absorbing aerosols, and the atmospheric correction and aerosol retrieval algorithms fail if the incorrect absorption properties of the aerosol are assumed. We present an algorithm that appears promising for the retrieval of in-water biophysical properties and aerosol optical properties in atmospheres containing both weakly and strongly absorbing aerosols. By using the entire spectrum available to most ocean color instruments (412-865 nm), we simultaneously recover the ocean's bio-optical properties and a set of aerosol models that best describes the aerosol optical properties. The algorithm is applied to simulated situations that are likely to occur off the U.S. East Coast in summer when the aerosols could be of the locally generated weakly absorbing Maritime type or of the pollution-generated strongly absorbing urban-type transported over the ocean by the winds. The simulations show that the algorithm behaves well in an atmosphere with either weakly or strongly absorbing aerosol. The algorithm successfully identifies absorbing aerosols and provides close values for the aerosol optical thickness. It also provides excellent retrievals of the ocean bio-optical properties. The algorithm uses a bio-optical model of case 1 waters and a set of aerosol models for its operation. The relevant parameters of both the ocean and atmosphere are systematically varied to find the best (in a rms sense) fit to the measured top-of-the-atmosphere spectral reflectance. Examples are provided that show the algorithm's performance in the presence of errors, e.g., error in the contribution from whitecaps and error in radiometric calibration.