10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Abstract View
Aitken's Condensation Counter: Bringing History to Life
DYLAN LEIGH-MANUELL, Suresh Dhaniyala, Clarkson University
Abstract Number: 961 Working Group: Instrumentation
Abstract John Aitken, a late 19th century meteorologist, physicist, and engineer, began his research into condensation and phase transformations in 1875. In 1890, this research led to the development of the Aitken dust counters, considered to be the first condensation nuclei counters. Because of their small size, simplicity, and ability to generate reproducible measurements, Aitken's dust counters, the pocket dust counter in particular, became widely used for the next half a century. This presentation outlines how John Aitken's early condensation nuclei counters were able to optically count particles in the air. We will also describe the process taken to restore an original Aitken Portable Dust Counter along with an original Aitken Pocket Dust Counter to working order. Lastly, we test the two historical counters and compare their performance in measuring aerosol concentrations to modern day instruments.