AAAR 35th Annual Conference October 17 - October 21, 2016 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
From Certified Regulatory PM Monitoring over Portable Measurements up to Studies in Airspace - Simultaneous Determination of PM Fractions, Particle Number and Particle Size Distribution in High Time Resolution Applying One and the Same Optical Measurement
KARSTEN PLETSCHER, Maximilian Weiss, Leander Mölter, Palas GmbH
Abstract Number: 99 Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods
Abstract Air pollution due to particulate matter and the related negative effects (health problems, economic damages) has become one of the major problems our society is faced with today. In order to be able to investigate and to assess the real exposition of the general public in a comprehensive way, the performance of precise and accurate measurements of particulate matter is an essential part of air pollution control.
The measurement technology of the Fidas® sensor allows the simultaneous measurement at a high time resolution of the relevant PM fractions like e.g. PM10 and PM2.5, the particle number as well as the particle size distribution.
The Fidas® sensor applies the well-approved measurement technology of optical light scattering on single particles and is equipped with a polychromatic LED light source with long-term stable output. The scattered light intensity is detected under 90° through a patented aperture technology, thus preventing border-zone error and enabling for coincidence detection. The implemented approach allows for an easy external field verification and calibration as well as a permanent online-monitoring of the calibration status.
Due to its modular design, the Fidas® sensor technique has been adapted to specific devices to cover a large range of possible applications. For regulatory monitoring of PM2.5 and PM10 in official networks, the type-approved and EN-certified Fidas® 200 has demonstrated equivalence with the gravimetric standard reference method, but can deliver much more information due to particle number and particle size measurements. This can be especially useful for source appointment, studies of aerosol composition.
Apart from monitoring ambient air, also indoor and workplace environments can be closely inspected with Fidas® sensor technique – and due to portable Fidas® devices in a very flexible way!
Last but not least it is also possible – due to its very light weight - to install the Fidas® technique to carrier systems like flight robots. This allows the performance of particle measurements at inaccessible locations and can be used for the assessment especially of line and area sources and also deliver valuable parameters for R&D purposes (e.g. for prognosis models).