Size Characterization of Carbonaceous Particles Using a Lovelace Multijet Cascade Impactor / Parallel-Flow Diffusion Battery Serial Sampling Train

Abstract

A serial sampling train consisting of a Lovelace multijet cascade impactor (LMJI) and a seven cell parallel-flow diffusion battery (PFDB) has been used to provide a comprehensive method for sizing aerosols with a wide size distribution ranging from less than 0.01 μm to over 10 μm. The fraction of the aerosol greater than 0.7 μm is collected by the impactor. The remaining fraction of the aerosol is sampled by the PFDB. Design of the PFDB is based on the theory of a screen-type diffusion battery. The concept of parallel flow is employed to provide a method for sampling aerosols that fluctuate too rapidly in concentration and size distribution to be measured by conventional methods. The LMJI/PFDB sampling system is useful for characterizing multimodel size distributions such as those that occur in ambient aerosols. It can also be used to determine the chemical composition of collected samples as a function of particle size. This sampling system has been used to size classify diesel and diesel-oil shale exposure atmospheres, and benzo(a)-pyrene-coated carbon black aerosols. The diffusion equivalent diameter (D de) of the diesel exhaust was 0.07–0.08 μm, and the oil-shale dust had a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of 2.6–2.9 μm. The size distribution of the carbon black aerosol was bimodal, with the fine fraction having a D de of 0.2 μm, and the coarse fraction having a MMAD of 2.0 μm.