AAAR 35th Annual Conference October 17 - October 21, 2016 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Two New Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Instruments for Fine and Ultra-Fine Airborne Particulates – Initial US Results
DRITAN XHILLARI, Rudolph Jaeger, Max Urscheler, Daniel Bachman, Martin Blaustein, Gediminas Mainelis, CH Technologies (USA)
Abstract Number: 219 Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods
Abstract CH Technologies Inc. (USA) and collaborators tested the performance of a Fidas 200 Fine Dust Aerosol Spectrometer (Palas, GmbH, Germany) and a Partector (Naneos, Switzerland) for a four month period at the PAM site located at the Rutgers Horticulture Research Farm 3 (East Brunswick, NJ). Continuous measurements of PM$_1, PM$_(2.5), PM$_4, PM$_(10), PM$_(total) plus Particle Number concentration were provided by Fidas 200 and Alveolar Lung Deposited Surface Area (LDSA) by the Partector.
A direct comparison of PM$_(2.5) concentrations measured by the Fidas 200 and a co-located FEM device, a Beta Attenuation Monitor (BAM) was performed. Correlation analyses were performed based on PM$_(2.5) hourly and daily averages from the two devices. When PM$_(2.5) daily averages were compared, the Fidas 200 measurements correlated very well with the BAM data (r$^2= 0.896). However, hourly averages exhibited a slightly weaker correlation (r$^2= 0.705). The BAM exhibits lower sensitivity at lower PM concentrations, hence it has to sample for extended periods in order to obtain sufficient signal.
Examination of the relationship between Partector, Fidas 200 and BAM measurements revealed that the measured LDSA trended better with the BAM PM$_(2.5) daily averages (r$^2 = 0.602) and less so with daily averages of various Fidas 200’s PM fractions measurements.
This study indicated that the Fidas 200 (a certified Equivalent Methods (EM) in Europe) is well suited to provide reliable PM$_(2.5) measurements. It correlates well with an FEM device, provides 99.97% completeness of hourly average time series and runs at lower cost than existing FRM or FEM devices. A collocation measurement campaign with an FEM PM$_(2.5) is under way at the George Washington Bridge and the Fort Lee, NJ, Public Library. Additional testing will involve co-location at Queens College for PM$_(2.5), PM$_(10) and ultrafines measurements.