Abstract
The discrete-sectional method to solve the general dynamic equations is a useful tool for the simulation of an evolving aerosol population. This tutorial is intended to equip the reader with the necessary knowledge to implement this method for a single component system. To this end, we provide step-by-step instructions on the construction of a discrete-sectional model, including details on simulation bin configurations and all the necessary equations to describe relevant physical processes in an aerosol, i.e. condensation/evaporation, coagulation, and external particle losses. Supplementary to the text is a functional, open source MATLAB code that implements the framework introduced in this tutorial. The interested readers can use the code either for learning purposes or to meet research demands. Lastly, we designed six test cases not only to verify the validity of our discrete-sectional model, but also to help the reader gain insight into the evolution of aerosol systems.
Highlights
The particle size distribution (PSD) is a basic property of an aerosol population (Seinfeld & Pandis, 2016)
For a complex aerosol system, the evolution of PSD is often governed by unknown physics/chemistry; PSDs are routinely simulated parallel to experimental or field observations, with assumptions on aerosol formation, growth, and loss processes
PSDs can be simulated on the molecular level, assigning one differential equation to describe the evolution of particles with a specific molecular composition
Summary
The particle size distribution (PSD) is a basic property of an aerosol population (Seinfeld & Pandis, 2016). PSDs can be simulated on the molecular level, assigning one differential equation to describe the evolution of particles with a specific molecular composition Such a detailed account gets cumbersome very quickly as particle size increases since a particle with a diameter of 1 μm contains ~1010 molecules and at least ~1010 equations are required for the simulation. Solving such a large number of interrelated differential equations is apparently inefficient; as a result, the sectional method was developed to reduce the number of equations to a manageable level (Gelbard, Tambour, & Seinfeld, 1980), with the central idea that particles within a certain size range (sections) can be approximated by a continuous distribution and described by a single equation.
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