New Experimental Methods for the Development and Evaluation of Aerosol Samplers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brixey LA ; Evans DE ; Paik SY ; Vincent JH
• Description:
  An understanding of the scaling laws governing aerosol sampler performance leads to new options for testing aerosol samplers at small scale in a small laboratory wind tunnel. Two methods are described in this paper. The first involves an extension of what is referred to as the "conventional" approach, in which scaled aerosol sampler systems are tested in a small wind tunnel while exposed to relatively monodisperse aerosols. Such aerosols are collected by test and reference samplers respectively and assessed gravimetrically. The new studies were carried out for a modified, low flowrate version of the IOM personal inhalable aerosol sampler. It was shown that such experiments can be carried out with a very high level of repeatability, and this supported the general validity of the aerosol sampler scaling laws. The second method involves a novel testing system and protocol for evaluating the performances of aerosol samplers. Here, scaled aerosol samplers of interest are exposed to polydisperse aerosols, again in a small wind tunnel. In this instance, the sampled particles are counted and sized using a direct-reading aerodynamic particle sizer (the APS). A prototype automated aerosol sampler testing system based on this approach was built and evaluated in preliminary experiments to determine the performance of another modified version of the IOM personal inhalable aerosol sampler. The design of the new test system accounts for the complex fluid mechanical coupling that occurs near the sampler inlet involving the transition between the external flow outside the sampler and the internal airflow inside the sampler, leading in turn to uncontrolled particle losses. The problem was overcome by the insertion of porous plastic foam plugs. where the penetration characteristics are well understood, into the entries of both the test and the reference samplers. Preliminary experiments with this new system also supported the general validity of the aerosol sampler scaling laws. In addition, they demonstrated high potential that this approach may be applied in a standardised aerosol testing method and protocol. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Environmental Monitoring Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety
• Keywords:
  Aerosol-particles Aerosol-sampling Exposure-assessment Particle-aerodynamics Particle-counters Particulate-sampling-methods Particulates Performance-capability Samplers Sampling Sampling-equipment Sampling-methods

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• ISSN:
  1464-0325
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Michigan ; Minnesota ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  4
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20029475
• Citation:
  J Environ Monit 2002 Oct; 4(5):633-641
• Contact Point Address:
  Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• NORA Priority Area:
  Grants Other
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19940901
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Environmental Monitoring
• End Date:
  20090831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1ad8ae9ba044aa2b20b61353d45c6c8b6b2f7842fd70b7a7f83e8c934032e6a5205db1a4ed138ad80b6cd02b0c9f22bc69791109cb55566a380e515dc61354fd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/190441/cdc_190441_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 398.26 KB ]