Acoustic Agglomeration to aid fine aerosol particulate collection

Triton Systems will develop a new device to optimize fine aerosol collection utilizing the phenomenon of acoustic agglomeration.  In this method, acoustic energy is used to increase particle interaction and thereby agglomerate into larger particles.    The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) seeks to improve the efficiency of collecting particles in the realm of 0.3 microns for their Radionuclide Airborne Particulate Sampler Analyzer (RASA), an automated device used to monitor air at sites around the world for compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.   This particle size range is the most difficult to capture in filtration systems because it is light enough to follow gas flow path through filters, yet too heavy for Brownian motion to cause impaction.   Methods to agglomerate these particles into larger size ranges will increase collection efficiency by traditional and electrostatic filters.    The Triton Aerosol Acoustic Agglomeration System will maximize the agglomeration of sub-micron particles by optimizing parameters such as flow rate and acoustic field.  Although it will be designed specifically to operate within the current RASA device, the technology will be used in a wide variety of filtration and particle sampling areas.  Triton’s work will forward the agglomeration method from research to a more established standard efficient method for scientific and industrial usage.