UTILIZING AN AEROSOL CONCENTRATOR

DETAILED AND PRECISE MEASUREMENTS OF AEROSOL CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES ARE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND FORMATION PROCESSES AND ASSESS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS SO THATCOST-EFFECTIVE CONTROL STRATEGIES CAN BE FORMULATED. SULFATE AEROSOL IS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN DUE TO ITS INVOLVEMENT IN ACID DEPOSITION, VISIBILITY REDUCTION AND ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS. INSTRUMENTATION FOR SUCH AEROSOL MEASUREMENTS IS EITHER INADEQUATE OR NONEXISTENT. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH PRESENTS AN APPROACH TO DEVELOP A UNIQUE DEVICE FOR MEASURING THE SULFATE CONTENT OF SELECTIVESIZE RANGES OF PARTICULATE MATTER ON A REAL-TIME BASIS. THEOBJECTIVES OF THIS FIRST PHASE ARE TWOFOLD. THE FIRST IS TOEVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF AN AEROSOL CONCENTRATOR AS A PARTICLE-SIZE-RESOLVING DEVICE BY VARYING THE OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS, AND THE SECOND IS TO CONTROL THE OPTIMIZED PARAMETERS BY MICROCOMPUTER. THE RESEARCH WILL INVOLVE PRODUCING A SYNTHETIC AEROSOL STREAM AND MEASURING THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION BEFORE AND AFTER PASSAGE THROUGH THE CONCENTRATOR, THUS DETERMINING THE SIZE FRACTIONATING EFFICIENCY. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THIS DEVICE WILL THEN BECAPABLE OF PRODUCING A SIZE-RESOLVED OUTPUT WHICH MAY BE COUPLED TO A VARIETY OF DETECTORS, ONE OF WHICH IS A FLAME PHOTOMETER SULFUR ANALYZER.