AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Development of a Mobile Atmospheric Reaction Chamber with Precision Thermodynamic Control for Generation of Complex Urban Air Mixtures
JONATHAN KRUG, Michael Lewandowski, John Offenberg, Tadeusz Kleindienst, M. Ian Gilmour, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract Number: 729 Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods
Abstract A mobile atmospheric reaction chamber was developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at its facility in Research Triangle Park, NC. The goal was to develop a reaction chamber capable of generating complex urban air mixtures that can simulate various pollutant conditions (e.g., Code Orange and Code Red levels with different multi-pollutant chemistry: high ozone/low PM, high PM/Low ozone, high SOA/low ozone, high carbonyls/high ozone). With integration of the reaction chamber to in vitro and in vivo equipment, studies of exposure to gas and particle phase constituents of complex urban air mixtures, aged combustion emissions, or SOA from direct injection of hydrocarbons will be possible.
The atmospheric reaction chamber, clean-air supply, and basic instruments are fully contained in a 24’ long, 12’ high trailer enabling the chamber to be moved to different combustion sources and exposure facilities. Temperature control is handled by a pair of 2-ton continuous load air conditioners that allow thermodynamically stable photochemical aging between 15 and 45 degrees C with a typical steady state deviation of less than ±0.5 degrees C. The chamber features 14 cubic meter total volume and can support 4-6 hour exposures in batch mode as well as continuous exposures in continuous stirred tank reactor mode with photochemical residence times up to 8 hours. A detailed description of the mobile reaction chamber components and principles of operation will be presented in addition to select results from laboratory evaluations of the chamber performance.
DISCLAIMER
Although this work was reviewed by EPA and approved for presentation, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy.