TY - JOUR
T1 - Development of a Cost-effective Adsorption Dryer for High-quality Aerosol Sampling
AU - Kecorius, Simonas
AU - Madueño, Leizel
AU - Sues, Susanne
AU - Cyrys, Josef
AU - Lovrić, Mario
AU - Pöhlker, Mira
AU - Plauškaitė, Kristina
AU - Davulienė, Lina
AU - Minderytė, Agnė
AU - Byčenkienė, Steigvilė
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s).
PY - 2024/3/1
Y1 - 2024/3/1
N2 - Due to their affinity to water, physical-chemical properties of aerosol particles depend highly on the ambient relative humidity (RH). Aerosol drying below 40% RH is recommended to minimize measurement artifacts, increase data quality, and make results from different environments comparable. Diffusion dryers (DD) are one of the most frequently used tools to lower RH in sampled air. This work presents a custom-built DD, its design, construction, and application. By using readily available materials and 3D printing, we were able to manufacture a high-quality, cost-effective DD that can be used in various measurement scenarios (e.g., long-term measurements, intensive field campaigns, laboratory studies, and applications with low-cost sensors). The DD is equipped with ports for desiccant regeneration using clean and dry air, eliminating the need for desiccant removal from the dryer. The field tests of the proposed DD showed that it could reduce RH from ambient 65% to < 5 and 15% at flow rates of 2.5 and 8.0 L min–1, respectively. The transmission efficiency (TE) of 10–20 nm and > 20 nm aerosol particles is between 60–80% and > 80%, respectively. The presented DD is easily scalable, thus, can be adapted for multiple applications at a low cost without compromising the data quality.
AB - Due to their affinity to water, physical-chemical properties of aerosol particles depend highly on the ambient relative humidity (RH). Aerosol drying below 40% RH is recommended to minimize measurement artifacts, increase data quality, and make results from different environments comparable. Diffusion dryers (DD) are one of the most frequently used tools to lower RH in sampled air. This work presents a custom-built DD, its design, construction, and application. By using readily available materials and 3D printing, we were able to manufacture a high-quality, cost-effective DD that can be used in various measurement scenarios (e.g., long-term measurements, intensive field campaigns, laboratory studies, and applications with low-cost sensors). The DD is equipped with ports for desiccant regeneration using clean and dry air, eliminating the need for desiccant removal from the dryer. The field tests of the proposed DD showed that it could reduce RH from ambient 65% to < 5 and 15% at flow rates of 2.5 and 8.0 L min–1, respectively. The transmission efficiency (TE) of 10–20 nm and > 20 nm aerosol particles is between 60–80% and > 80%, respectively. The presented DD is easily scalable, thus, can be adapted for multiple applications at a low cost without compromising the data quality.
KW - Aerosol drying
KW - Aerosol measurement
KW - Atmospheric aerosol particles
KW - Data quality assurance
KW - Diffusion dryer
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85186116617&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4209/aaqr.230057
DO - 10.4209/aaqr.230057
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85186116617
SN - 1680-8584
VL - 24
JO - Aerosol and Air Quality Research
JF - Aerosol and Air Quality Research
IS - 3
M1 - 230057
ER -