AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
The Examination of Mass Spectral Signatures With Different Black Carbon Sources Utilizing a SP-AMS Instrument
EDWARD FORTNER, Timothy Onasch, Leah Williams, Paola Massoli, William Brooks, Manjula Canagaratna, Puneet Chhabra, Jonathan Franklin, Achim Trimborn, Scott Herndon, John Jayne, Douglas Worsnop, Aerodyne Research, Inc.
Abstract Number: 461 Working Group: Carbonaceous Aerosols in the Atmosphere
Abstract The soot particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) instrument developed recently by Aerodyne Research, Inc. has participated in a number of field campaigns as well as laboratory studies where specific sources of black carbon-containing particles have been examined to give insight into the chemical makeup of these particular black carbon particle sources. The SP-AMS instrument combines the ability to measure black carbon with the ability to determine the chemical composition of the PM associated with black carbon particles.. A 1064 nm. laser beam, based on SP2 design, is used to vaporize refractory particles such as black carbon soot particles, while a conventional heated tungsten vaporizer is used to vaporize nonrefractory particles by impaction on the hot surface (600o C). The SP-AMS may be run with or without the conventional vaporizer installed. When the conventional vaporizer is installed, the SP-AMS measures both refractory and non-refractory particles while with the conventional vaporizer removed, only black carbon-containing particles, including associated PM on those particles, are measured.
The field measurements conducted include biomass burning, flare emissions and internal combustion engine sources. Experiments with black carbon samples coated with ammonium nitrate and specific organic compounds have also been conducted in the laboratory. Campaigns examining ambient air conditions have been conducted with the SP-AMS and individual black carbon plumes have been detected. The mass spectrum measured in these ambient black carbon rich plumes will be examined and compared to different specific source mass spectral signatures.