Aerosol Dynamics Inc

A Pulsed Condensation Particle Counter for Cost Effective Monitoring of Ultrafine Airborne Particles - a Pulsed Condensation Particle Counter for Cost Effective Monitoring of Ultrafine Airborne Particles Abstract This Project Will Develop and Validate a New Approach for Affordably Monitoring the Number Concentration of Ultrafine Airborne Particles. Ultrafine Particles Are Specifically Implicated in Health, and Yet Are Not Detected by Lower-cost Sensors. Our Approach Is a Pulsed Condensation Particle Counter That Uses Adiabatic Expansion Combined With Single Particle Counting. Our Phase I Results Demonstrate That This Approach Is Reliable Over Months of Continuous Operation, With ±10% Agreement With Expensive, Research-grade Condensation Particle Counters. Our Target Is an Affordable Portable Instrument, Priced at a Fraction of the Cost of Current Instruments, That Measures the Particle Number Concentration With Known Accuracy and Precision. the Envisioned Commercial Instrument Will Include a Commercial Optical Counter and Report Ultrafine Particle Number Concentration and Estimated PM2.5 Mass. This Phase Ii Project Will Improve the Performance of the Phase I System, Refine the Supporting Components, and Integrate the Electronics and Components Into a Compact System. the Complete Prototype System Will Be Tested Under Both Laboratory and Field Conditions. Instrument Precision and Accuracy Over a Range of Particle Sizes and Concentrations Will Be Evaluated With Monodispersed, Laboratory Aerosols, Using Particle Sizes Ranging From 5 NM to 2500 NM, and Concentrations From Near Zero to Several Hundred Thousand Per Cubic Centimeter. Instrument Robustness Will Be Evaluated Through Stress-testing at Extremes in Temperature (5°- 40°C) and Humidity (5%-95%). Monitoring Performance and Stability Will Be Tested Through Comparison With Collocated Benchtop Instruments Over Weeks of Unattended Operation. Measurements Under Field Conditions Will Be Conducted in Collaboration With a Local University Exposure Study. Validation as a Monitor Will Be Done in Collaboration With an Air Monitoring District. the Objective Is a Compact, Cost-effective Monitor With a Particle Detection Limit Below 5 NM, With Precision of ±10% for Concentrations Between 10 - 104/CM3, and Precision of at Least ±15% for Concentrations Reaching 105/CM3, and Data Recovery of at Least 90%.