Particle Generation and Resuspension in Aircraft Inlets when Flying in Clouds

Using on-line analysis of single particles, we have observed both generation and resuspension of particles when ice crystals, cloud droplets, or dust impact an aircraft inlet. Large numbers of particles smaller than 1 μ m with a composition suggesting stainless steel were measured when flying a stainless steel inlet through cirrus clouds. Smaller numbers of metal particles were also observed when flying through dust or water clouds. A different instrument, sampling through a different inlet, found zinc particles when sampling in cirrus clouds. Laboratory experiments have verified that high-speed ice crystals can abrade stainless steel. Collision of ice crystals with the inlet wall also resuspended previously deposited particles. A notable example came when a flight through the space shuttle exhaust plume deposited large numbers of unique particles in our inlet. Some of the same types of particles were observed when the aircraft flew into an ice cloud the following day. The generation of particles by impaction of ice crystals and dust in inlets may have affected some published results about ice nuclei and metal particles in the upper troposphere. The newly generated particles cannot be distinguished from atmospheric particles by size alone.     

Simulation of Particle Deposition in an Idealized Mouth with Different Small Diameter Inlets

The deposition of monodisperse particles (1.0-12.5 w m diameter) in an idealized mouth geometry has been studied numerically for three different inlet diameters (3.0, 5.0, and 8.0 mm). The continuous phase flow is solved using a RANS (Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes) k m y turbulence model at an inhalation flow rate of 16.3, 21.7, and 32.2 L/min. The particulate phase is simulated using a random-walk/Lagrangian stochastic eddy-interaction model (EIM). When optimized near-wall corrections are included in the EIM, the particle deposition results in the idealized mouth geometry are in relatively good agreement with measured data obtained in separate experiments. Without the near-wall corrections in the EIM, poor agreement with experiment is seen.     

Particle Sampling by TEM Grid Filtration

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) offers a very comprehensive tool for individual particle analysis allowing the determination of size, morphology, specific surface, and elemental composition. This information is needed in aerosol studies, especially in the field of nanomaterials. However, observations with TEM require a controlled sampling on an adapted analysis support, namely TEM grid. Techniques allowing sampling on TEM grids are of great interest to aerosol analysis. Indeed, sample preparation is not required, thereby gaining time and avoiding a risk for the sample to be altered. The present study evaluates the efficiency of a new particle collection technique based on filtration through one class of TEM-dedicated supports, namely TEM porous grids. Two types of porous grids, considered as the best on the market for this application, have been put to the test: the “Quantifoil” type porous grid, which has a regular structure, and the “Holey” type (Agar Scientific, Stansted, Essex, England). A filter holder has been developed specifically for this application, the MPS® (Mini-Particle Sampler®, Ecomesure, Janvry, France). Experimental tests have been carried out with a flow rate of 0.3 L·min^?1. They show that the collection is operational in the 5-nm to 150-nm size range, with a minimum efficiency of 15–18% around 30 nm. Simulation confirms these results and shows an increased efficiency even below 5 nm and beyond 150 nm. The filter holder MPS® designed in this study is a low-cost, portable, versatile, and easy-to-use tool.

Copyright 2013 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Large Particle Penetration During PM10 Sampling

The objective of the present study was to characterize the performance of a federal reference method (FRM) PM₁₀ size-selective inlet using analysis methods designed to minimize uncertainty in measured sampling efficiencies for large particles such as those most often emitted from agricultural operations. The performance of an FRM PM₁₀ inlet was characterized in a wind tunnel at a wind speed of 8 km/h. Data were also collected for 20 and 25 μm particles at wind speeds of 2 and 24 km/h. Results of the present sampler evaluation compared well with those of previous studies for a similar inlet near the cutpoint, and the sampler passed the criteria required for certification as a FRM sampler when tested at 8 km/h. Sampling effectiveness values for particles with nominal diameters of 20 and 25 μm exceeded 3% for 8 and 24 km/h wind speeds in the present study and were statistically higher than both the “ideal” PM₁₀ sampler (as defined in 40 CFR 53) and the ISO (1995) standard definition of thoracic particles (p < 0.05) for 25 μm particles leading to the potential for significant sampling bias relative to the “ideal” PM₁₀ sampler when measuring large aerosols.

Copyright 2014 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Possible Sampling Artifact in Real Time Particle Size Distributions Related to Sampling Rate

The availability of high time-resolution (1 s full spectrum scan) particle sizers permitted atmospheric researchers to scrutinize the characteristics of ultrafine particles in rapidly varying (perhaps, random) high concentration environments such as roadside, on-road, and tunnels. These data also revealed possible artifacts associated with the slower (～ 30 s or more) scanning sizers when used in this kind of environment. This study discusses sampling rate artifact problems based on simulations using 1 s Engine Exhaust Particle Sizer data taken on a mobile platform.     

Decreasing the Sampling Time Interval in Radioactive Particle Tracking

The study of the movement of solids in multiphase reactors using radioactive particle tracking is currently limited to fairly modest particle velocities because of count‐rate limitations of the detection system. In this work, this restriction was overcome by increasing the activity of the radioactive tracer, by decreasing the sampling time interval and by modifying the particle tracking software to recognize which detectors were saturated and to use only the data from the remaining unsaturated detectors. Higher tracer activity resulted in lower standard deviation of the calculated tracer coordinates.     

Ultrafine Particle Sampling with the UNC Passive Aerosol Sampler

A model is presented to describe the collection of ultrafine particles by the UNC passive aerosol sampler. In this model, particle deposition velocity is calculated as a function of particle size, shape and other properties, as well as a function of sampler geometry. To validate the model, deposition velocities were measured for ultrafine particles between 15 and 90 nm in diameter. Passive aerosol samplers were placed in a 1 m ³ test chamber and exposed to an ultrafine aerosol of ammonium fluorescein. SEM images of particles collected by the samplers were taken at 125 kX magnification. Experimental values of deposition velocity were then determined using data from these images and from concurrent measurements of particle concentration and size distribution taken with an SMPS. Deposition velocities from the model and from the experiments were compared and found to agree well. These results suggest that the deposition velocity model presented here can be used to extend the use of the UNC passive aerosol sampler into the ultrafine particle size region.     

Calculation of Leakage and Particle Loss in Filter Cassettes

Experimental evidence of aerosol bypass leakage around the filter in plastic filter cassettes prompted an investigation using computational fluid dynamics to explain particle penetration through the leak. Axi-symmetric models of a cassette with several leak dimensions were constructed. The models predicted that submicrometer particles penetrated the leak, but that larger particles impacted on the filter surface. Experimental data from another study clearly indicated that larger solid particles were being lost from the surface of the filter during sampling. When particle bounce was invoked as an explanation for this loss of sampled solid particles, the theoretical loss from the filter in cassettes with large leaks exhibited characteristics similar to the experimental data. For small leaks, the mass loss behavior appeared to be more complex.     

Effects of Dilution Sampling on Fine Particle Emissions from Pulverized Coal Combustion

A dilution sampler was used to examine the effects of dilution ratio and residence time on fine-particle emissions from a pilot-scale pulverized coal combustor. Measurements include the particle size distribution from 0.003 to 2.5 μm, PM_2.5 mass, and PM_2.5 composition (OC/EC, major ions, and elemental). Heated filter samples were also collected simultaneously at stack temperatures in order to compare the dilution sampler measurements with standard stack sampling methodologies. Measurements were made both before and after the bag house, the particle control device used on the coal combustor, and while firing three different coal types and one coal–biomass blend. The PM_2.5 mass emission rates measured using the dilution sampler agreed to within experimental uncertainty with those measured with the hot-filter sampler. Relative to the heated filter sample, dilution did increase the PM_2.5 mass fraction of selenium for all fuels tested, as well as ammonium and sulfate for selected fuels. However, the additional particulate mass created by gas-to-particle conversion of these species is within the uncertainty of the gravimetric analysis used to determine the overall mass emission rate. The enrichment of PM_2.5 selenium caused by dilution did not vary with dilution ratio and residence time. The enrichment of PM_2.5 sulfate and ammonium varied with fuel composition and dilution ratio but not residence time. For example, ammonium was only enriched in diluted acidic aerosol samples. A comparison of the PM_2.5 emission profiles for each of the fuels tested underscores how differences in PM_2.5 composition are related to the fuel ash composition. When sampling after the bag house, the particle size distribution and total particle number emission rate did not depend on residence time and dilution ratio because of the much lower particle number concentrations in diluted sample and the absence of nucleation. These results provide new insight into the effects of dilution sampling on measurements of fine particle emissions, providing important data for the ongoing effort of the EPA and ASTM to define a standardized dilution sampling methodology for characterizing emissions from stationary combustion sources.     

商品煤机械化采样全水分损失测定方法探讨

鉴于全水分损失测定对商品煤数量和质量核定的重要性,针对国家有关标准中存在的缺点,探讨一种切实可行的商品煤机械化采样全水分损失的测定方法。     

Diffusional properties of chitosan hydrogel membranes

Chitosan membranes were prepared by a solvent evaporation technique, followed by crosslinking with glutaraldehyde and coating with BSA. The effects of crosslinking and BSA coating on the pore structure of such prepared hydrogel chitosan membranes were determined. The diffusion rates of 12 non‐electrolytes ranging in molecular radius between 2.5 and 14 Å through the membranes were measured, and the results were interpreted in terms of the capillary pore model and free volume model of solute diffusional transport through hydrogel membranes. Glutaraldehyde crosslinking was found to reduce the membrane water content and consequently the membrane pore size and surface porosity, whereas further BSA coating brought about the opposite effect. The latter effect lessened with an increase in glutaraldehyde pretreatment of the membranes. The optimal chitosan membrane preparation, compromising between the solute flux and membrane stability and durability was obtained when the membranes were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde at concentrations between 0.01 and 0.1% (w/w). The knowledge of transport properties and of physical strength of the membranes is of importance for the development of chitosan‐based controlled release systems. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

A Novel Particle Trap Impactor for Use with the Gas-Quenching Probe Sampling System

A novel particle trap impactor has been developed for use with the gas-quenching probe in order to exclude solid particles from entering into the probe during sampling of gaseous metallic species in fluidized bed combustion conditions. The impactor must be small in size (Ø_impactor ≤ Ø_probe = 45 mm) but capable of collecting a relatively large amount of particles at elevated temperatures. As the first step, the impactor was designed, constructed, and tested at room temperature for KCI aerosol particles. The impactor with a nozzle of 0.95 mm in diameter, in combination with the orifice-to-jet diameter ratio of 1.5 and the ratio of the jet-to-plate spacing to jet diameter at 1.4 yielded a sharp cutoff curve with a maximum collection efficiency of about 0.9 and a √Stk₅₀ value of about 0.22. In addition, the collection efficiency of the impactor was compared with the particle removal efficiency of a filter of the same type as the filter previously used with the gas-quenching probe. The difference from the comparison is very small, indicating that the impactor can be used to replace the filter to prevent fly ash particles from entering the gas-quenching probe in fluidized bed combustion conditions.     

Particle Motion in the Vicinity of a Bulky Sampling Head Operating in Calm Air

A study is made of the aspiration of particles into a bulky sampling head with a sampling orifice located at a general point on its surface. The particles are assumed to be suspended in an ideal fluid that is at rest apart from the motion caused by the action of suction into the head. The sampling head considered is a two-dimensional circular cylinder with the orifice modelled as a line sink. The work extends that by Davies and Peetz (1954) and Davies (1967), where the aspiration of particles into the top and bottom of a two-dimensional cylindrical sampling head were considered. It is found that the region around the head can be divided into four regions, namely, where particles (i) enter the sampling head, (ii) deposit on the head, (iii) pass by the head, and (iv) where no particles enter and hence forms a shadow. The size and shape of these regions is found to depend not only on the position of the sampling orifice on the surface of the head, but also on the value of a nondimensional parameter k . This parameter is a multiple of the ratio of the particle settling velocity times the sampler size to the rate of aspiration of the fluid by the sampler. For all positions of the sampling orifice, the shadow zone is found to extend to infinity for large values of k , which corresponds to small suction rates, but becomes finite as k decreases.     

Design and Evaluation of a Portable Dilution Sampling System for Measuring Fine Particle Emissions

The size and complexity of current dilution samplers is a mrajor barrier to more wide-spread application of these systems for source characterization. A new, more portable dilution sampler has been designed to provide masurements consistent with the widely cited Caltech di1ution sampler. Intercomparison experiments were performed using a diesel engine and wood stove to evaluate the comparability of the new design with a sampler based on the Caltech design. These experiments involved simultaneouos operation of mutiple dilution sampies from the same source. Filter based measurements included PM_2.5 mass, organic Carbon and elemeanta1 carbon emissions. Particle size distributions in the range from 10–480 nm were measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer. The filter based and integrated-total volume measurements made with the two designs are in good agreement. FOr example, the average relative bias between the two sampler of PM_2.5 mass emission rate measured with Teflon filters is 1%. Nucleation. was intermittently observed in the sampler based on the Caltech design, but rarely observed in the new design. Significant discrepancies in total number emissions between the two samplers occurred during periods of nucleation. Ewperiments were also conducted to examine the effects of residence time on the diluted emissions. No changes in the filter based or integrated colame measurements were observed with an additional 40-s residence time, indicating that phase equilibrium is established in the 2.5 s of residence time provided by the dilution tunnel, This conclusion is consistent with theoretical analysis. These results provide new insight into the effects of dilution sampling on measurements of fine particle emissions, providing important data for the ongoing effort of the EPA and ASTM to define a standardized dilution sampling methodology for characterizing emissions from stationary combustion sources.     

A Differentially Pumped Particle Inlet for Sampling of Atmospheric Aerosols into a Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer: Optical Characterization of the Particle Beam

Two methods of characterizing the particle beam generated with a differentially pumped particle inlet are presented. Both methods are based on optical scattering of a laser beam by the particle beam. The first method images a time integrated scatter signal from the entire particle beam onto a charge coupled device (CCD), and an Abel inversion is performed on the image data to arrive at the radial particle density distribution in the beam. The second method, based on counting individual (particle) scatter pulses, yields the radial particle density directly. Initial results of the performance of the particle inlet are reported for particles with diameters between 40 and 800 nm. Under optimal working conditions, particle beams were generated with a full angle divergence on the order of 1-2 mrad. The width, measured 285 mm downstream from the exit of the particle inlet, was 250mu m, half width at half maximum (HWHM).     

Diffusional deposition of particles in a model alveolus

Particle deposition by Brownian diffusion in a lung model alveolus during breathing is studied numerically. The transient and steady-state fractional deposition are obtained for different particle sizes.     

Diffusional kinetics of metalliding zinc into solid copper

The process of incorporation of zinc into a copper cathode has been experimentally studied in a molten salt system at 381±2° C and at various current densities. The process is shown to be kinetically controlled by the diffusion of Zn into the solid matrix. A galvanostatic pulse titration technique has been used to determine the chemical diffusion coefficient at various alloy compositions, and an exponential relationship has been found between the diffusivity and the third power of the zinc concentration in the alloy. This relationship was then used in the diffusion equation within the solid matrix and a numerical integration was performed. Very good agreement was found between the calculated and experimental data for Zn interfacial concentration versus time. The same calculation procedure was used to determine zinc concentration profiles in the alloys.Nomenclature c _A concentration of the diffusing metal (mol cm^–3) - D _AB chemical diffusion coefficient of A into B (cm² s^–1) - E cell e.m.f. (mV) - F Faraday number - i current density (A cm^–2) - t time (s) - V _M alloy molar volume (cm³ mol^–1) - x linear dimension in the diffusion direction (cm) - X zinc mass fraction in the alloy - z ionic valence of Zn - stoichiometric ratio Zn/Cu     

Diffusional Separation of Gases and Solutes in Oscillatory Flow

Abstract

We present a method for separating gases and solutes by oscillating the fluid column. The process is based on augmented diffusion and is akin to Taylor dispersion. The augmentation of the flux, as compared to simple molecular diffusion, is 3 orders of magnitude in the gaseous system and 6 orders of magnitude in the liquid system. Proper choice of experimental conditions (capillary radius, frequency, and fluid properties) is crucial for best results. In the gaseous system, the best separation factor achieved was 0.4; the expected separation under the conditions prevailing was 0.3. Highest diffusional flux was 850 mL/min in a system with a cross-sectional area of 8.62 cm². The net energy consumption at these conditions was only 14 W. The separation in the liquid system was similar to that in the gaseous system. The method provides good separation at low energy cost.