AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Calibration of the Aerodynamic Particle Sizer using an Ink Jet Aerosol Generator (IJAG)
JANA KESAVAN, Jerold Bottiger, Deborah Schepers, Andrew McFarland, US ARMY ECBC
Abstract Number: 457 Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract The aerodynamic particle sizer (APS) measures the aerodynamic diameter and size distribution of aerosols in real time. The APS needs to be calibrated periodically and before each official test to ensure accurate results. The objective of this test was to characterize the counting efficiency of the APS as a function of particle size using solid, liquid and bio particles generated by an ink jet aerosol generator (IJAG). This is an easier method compared to the other methods listed in the literature. The output of the IJAG was positioned directly above the inlet of the APS for successful capture of all particles. The particle sizes used in this test ranged from 0.95 to 13.26 micrometers. The test results showed that the counting efficiency was 97.7% for 0.95 micrometer particles and reached 100% for the 1.3 micrometer particles. The counting efficiency showed slight decrease for particle sizes larger than 10 micrometers and reached 99.04% for 13.26 micrometer particles. The primary droplet volume of the IJAG was determined in this study using the fluorescence particles, and the results showed that the volume is 142.7 pL which corresponds to a 64.7 micrometer diameter particle. The accuracy of IJAG particle generation was checked by collecting bio particle output from the IJAG on a slit to agar sampler and culturing and counting them. The results showed that the particle generation efficiency of the IJAG is 98.1% based on the culture results.