TITLE:
Application of the Soft X-Ray TSI Advanced Aerosol Neutralizer to Aerosol Measurements Made by a Grimm SMPS
AUTHORS:
Alessia Nicosia, Franco Belosi, Brais Vazquez
KEYWORDS:
Aerosol Neutralizer, SMPS, Particle Size Distribution
JOURNAL NAME:
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences,
Vol.4 No.4,
September
30,
2014
ABSTRACT: Scanning
Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) spectrometers are subject to several restrictions
when a radioactive source is employed to bring the aerosol to a steady-state charge
distribution. An alternative solution, commercially available, is represented by
the soft X-ray neutralizer. The present study investigates the outcome of a combination
of a Grimm SMPS, which employs a 241Am radioactive source, with the
soft X-ray advanced aerosol neutralizer (TSI model 3087). To date, the latter device
has been interfaced only with TSI’s Electrostatic Classifiers. Particle size distribution
of sodium chloride aerosol was measured with both neutralizers and it was found
that the particle number concentration agreed to be within 9% for the 10 - 700 nm
range. This difference mainly corresponds to the bias reported by TSI, when the
X-ray device is mounted on a TSI spectrometer. It was concluded that the X-ray neutralizer
could be usefully employed, as a standalone device, in combination with Grimm Electrostatic
Classifiers.