AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Laboratory and Field Evaluation of the UCB-PaCO (Particle and Carbon Monoxide) System: A Portable, Robust, and Low-cost Platform for Monitoring Combustion-related Household Air Pollution
AJAY PILLARISETTI, David Holstius, Michael Johnson, Tracy Allen, Dana Charron, David Pennise, Edmund Seto, Kirk Smith, University of California, Berkeley
Abstract Number: 573 Working Group: Portable and Inexpensive Sensor Technology for Air Quality Monitoring
Abstract The UCB-PaCO (Particle and Carbon Monoxide) is a modular, low-cost, robust, portable data-logging sensor platform for assessing concentrations of combustion byproducts related to household energy use in the developing world. PaCO monitors combine an off the shelf light-scattering chamber with commercially available CO sensors. Each monitor can log continuous 1-minute data for over three weeks on three AAA batteries. The Platform for Integrated Cookstove Assessments (PICA) ingests data from both UCB-PaCO sensors. Additional datastreams from commercial pollution monitors and from simple data-logging thermometers used as stove use monitors can also be processed in PICA.
Multiple UCB-PaCOs were tested in the laboratory against other commercially available CO and PM instruments and against the previous generation UCB-PATS (Particle And Temperature Sensor). Simultaneous gravimetric sampling was also conducted, allowing for calibration of light-scattering devices. Two CO sensors were evaluated and were calibrated against span gas before and after laboratory testing. Inter- and intra-device comparisons are presented.
Laboratory testing showed high correlation between the particle responses of UCB-PaCO and commercial devices (r = .87). The CO sensors evaluated differ in sensitivity and design. Newly available electrochemical CO sensors were found to have fast response and good precision, low sensor-to-sensor variability in baseline and sensitivity parameters, minimal power requirements, and linear responses even at low (0.10–10 ppm CO) concentrations.
UCB-PaCOs were deployed for 48 hour periods each during household air pollution assessments in Kaski District, Nepal, where they were collocated with the UCB-PATS and other commercially available PM and CO sensors and gravimetric samplers. Factors affecting performance and usability were assessed, including battery life, simplicity of operation, and overall utility of PICA in the field. Kitchen and ambient concentration data are presented for CO and PM. Inter- and intra-device comparisons are highlighted.