AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Design and Characterization of a New Coarse Particle Collector Based on Microtrap Impactor Technology
Erin Lennox, Nathan Kreisberg, LUPITA MONTOYA, University of Colorado Boulder
Abstract Number: 369 Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods
Abstract A microtrap inertial impactor was developed and characterized for use as an area or personal sampler. The microtrap utilizes a high-density multi-jet plate to direct airflow and a matched multi-well plate to impact and collect particles for extraction with a reduced pressure drop relative to inertial impactors with fewer jets. This impactor was characterized using a fluidized bed aerosol generator and a small volume nebulizer to generate particles of Arizona Road Dust, potassium chloride and oleic acid. Collection efficiency was determined by measuring particle size distributions with an aerodynamic particle sizer. Two geometries of the microtrap were tested suitable for a two-stage coarse particle sampler, with 1 - 4 micrometer and a 4 - 10 micrometer stages. The 1 micrometer cut-point microtrap stage has a collection efficiency above 97 percent for particles greater than 2 micrometers in diameter (at a 10 liters per minute flow rate and a pressure drop of 0.12 kPa). The collection efficiency of this stage was constant for a period of up to 10 hours under typical ambient conditions without any coating on the impaction surface. The microtrap provides an improvement in area sampling due to its high collection efficiency at a low-pressure drop across the device, and its use of an uncoated impaction surface allowing for the extraction and analysis of biological samples.