A Numerical Study of the Performance of an Aerosol Sampler with a Curved, Blunt, Multi-Orificed Inlet

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baron, Paul A. ; Chen BT ; Gao, Peng-Fei ; Soderholm, Sidney C.
• Description:
  The purpose of this study was to numerically simulate the performance of an aerosol sampler with a curved, blunt, multi-orificed inlet in order to understand the sampling characteristics of the first prototype of the button personal inhalable aerosol sampler ("button sampler"). Because the button sampler inlet design is too complicated to apply a three-dimensional model, an axisymmetric two-dimensional model was created to be similar in geometry and to simulate the major features of the airflow through the sampler when facing the wind. Particle trajectories were calculated in a variety of wind velocities and were categorized into 5 groups based on their interactions with the curved surface of the sampling plane. Empirical sampling efficiencies of the button sampler for 3 particle sizes were used to adjust the calculated sampling efficiencies in an attempt to improve the accuracy of the two-dimensional axisymmetric model in accounting for interactions between particles and the surface of the inlet of the button sampler. Sampling efficiencies for other particle sizes were then predicted. The results showed that sampling efficiency decreased with increasing particle size up to approximately 40 micrometers and then remained virtually unchanged at about 35% up to 100 micrometers. Although the efficiencies were lower than the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' (ACGIH) inhalability curve for larger particles, the pattern of the predicted sampling efficiency was quite similar to the ACGIH inhalability curve. Sampling efficiencies for liquid aerosol particles larger than 15 micrometers were predicted to be noticeably lower than those for solid particles. The results also showed that the multi-orificed curved surface played an important role in establishing a pressure drop with desired flow alignment inside the sampler, thus greatly reducing the wind effect and significantly improving the uniformity of particle deposition on the filter. The less uniform deposition found at high wind velocity can be improved by increasing the sampling flow rate. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Movements Environmental Monitoring Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety
• Keywords:
  Aerosol-particles Aerosol-sampling Air-flow Air-sampling-equipment Air-sampling-techniques Equipment-design Equipment-reliability Filters Mathematical-models Particle-aerodynamics Particulate-sampling-methods Particulates Performance-capability Sampling-equipment Sampling-methods

  More +
• ISSN:
  0278-6826
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology ; HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division ; NPPTL - National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  36
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022386
• Citation:
  Aerosol Sci Technol 2002 May; 36(5):540-553
• Contact Point Address:
  Pengfei Gao, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, P.O. Box 18070, Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236
• Email:
  pgao@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Exposure Assessment Methods
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Aerosol Science and Technology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f841779859d0e2a6cebdb4eba5c55eb51c46f8f211216f1493239c94cf5dce50dba33c8d3b82221c210a7e6cceab3cba192ed380939007cb23dd8151b78b9e84
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199182/cdc_199182_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.13 MB ]