US EPA

2561354 

Journal Article 

Performance characteristics of the ultra high sensitivity aerosol spectrometer for particles between 55 and 800 nm: Laboratory and field studies 

Cai, Y; Montague, DC; Mooiweer-Bryan, W; Deshler, T 

2008 

Yes 

Journal of Aerosol Science
ISSN: 0021-8502
EISSN: 1879-1964 

39 

9 

759-769 

10.1016/j.jaerosci.2008.04.007 

WOS:000259661200002 

A new optical particle counter, the Particle Metrics, Inc., ultra high sensitive aerosol spectrometer (UHSAS), has been used to size aerosol particles both in our laboratory, and at a remote mountain-top site in Wyoming. The laboratory studies show that the UHSAS measured diameters of polystyrene latex (PSL), ammonium sulfate, and ammonium nitrate particles are within 10% of those determined by a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), as are those for non-spherical sodium chloride particles and PSL doublets. The UHSAS detection efficiency is close to 100% for particles larger than 100 nm and concentrations below 3000 cm(-3), but decreases both for smaller particles and for higher concentrations considerably. The field measurements confirm these observations and also demonstrate good agreement of particle concentration measurements between the UHSAS, SNIPS, and a passive cavity aerosol spectrometer probe (PCASP) in the same size ranges. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 

UHSAS; size distribution; irregular particles; OPC; ambient aerosol