The approach to charge equilibrium in a stored aerosol during aging

Abstract

The approach during natural aging to charge equilibrium of an aerosol produced and stored in a polyester «Mylar» balloon gasometer with metallized internal surface and 4200 litres content is studied. The number of charged condensation nuclei at any instant is related to the number of charged nuclei present at the same moment in electrical equilibrium produced by alpha-irradiation of the aerosol. It is shown that a stored aerosol consisting of small nuclei of moderate concentration is not later than 15 minutes after their birth in electrical equilibrium. With increasing size and concentration of the nuclei it takes longer and longer until the stored aerosol attains charge equilibrium. Stored large nuclei appear not to reach exact charge equilibrium even after several days. The reasons for replacing the rubber balloon gasometer, used previously, by the Mylar balloon for this investigation are given. In connection with the ionizing radiation required for producing charge equilibrium, the generation of condensation nuclei by alpha-radiation in stagnant and moving nucleus-free air has been investigated. It has been found that no condensation nuclei are being produced in filtered (nucleus-free) air for air-flows of between 0.1 and 20 litres/min in a tube of 4.2 cm diameter by the alpha-rays of Polonium 210 of about 125 μc.