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Collection And Pre-Concentration of Aerosol for Optical Spectroscopies

Zavvos, Konstantinos

Abstract Details

2016, MS, University of Cincinnati, Engineering and Applied Science: Environmental Engineering.
During the last few decades there has been an ever-growing need for aerosol monitoring and measurement. The fields of interest vary, and span from air pollution and public health, to science and nanotechnology and up to medicine and chemicals. Occupational safety demands aerosol monitoring to assure that hazardous aerosols are not present or are at acceptable concentration levels, in public and industrial work areas. Aerosol measurements have also been conducted for the evaluation of their effect on climatic changes. The growing need to regulate aerosol pollution has led to the growth and expansion of the scientific methods used for aerosol monitoring, which are many times very costly and time consuming. A great variety of scientific instruments and approaches have been developed for that cause. These methods range from basic filter-based collection to the use of modern near-real time instrumentation. In this study, the design and performance characteristics of our method for collection and pre-concentration of aerosol sample for optical spectroscopies are discussed. This method can be applied to a portable, near-real time instrument for aerosol monitoring. We first presented the background and motivation of this study and reviewed some of the literature pertaining to the main focus of our experimental research. We then determined the electrode size diameter after the introduction of spark discharge. A brief introduction and problem statement are given, followed by an explanation and analysis of the experimental design, including the appropriate figures. Experimental results are later discussed, focusing on the results obtained for the variation of the coverage in different experimental conditions and the results regarding the footprint size diameter. The main body of this thesis discusses the subject of collection and analysis of aerosol particles in a pre-concentrator system. An introduction and problem statement are given, followed by an explanation and analysis of the design of the pre-concentrator. Schematic diagrams, pictures and tables are used for better understanding of the experimental setup and its key components. Experimental results are then discussed. First, we analyzed the losses in the pre-concentrator inlet nozzle area, and graphically presented the data obtained. Then, the determination of the distance between the electrodes of the pre-concentrator is discussed, followed by an analysis on the optimization for the corona current. Our main experimental analysis follows, presenting the determination of the pre-concentrator collection efficiency. Figures, schematic diagrams and pictures are used for better explanation of the methods and instruments used in this study, followed by figures presenting the data obtained from all of the experiments conducted. An optical analysis of and discussion on the experiments using a scanning electron microscope is then presented. A discussion on the performance characteristics of the Pen-Ray UV Lamp charger follows, and figures of the results regarding this subject are presented. Finally, we summed up all the significant results and conclusions obtained in this study. We then presented all the experimental conclusions obtained and made suggestions for future work in this experimental area of interest. Finally, the significant contribution of this thesis was explained
Dionysios Dionysiou, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Pramod Kulkarni, D.Sc. (Committee Member)
George Sorial, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
90 p.

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Citations

  • Zavvos, K. (2016). Collection And Pre-Concentration of Aerosol for Optical Spectroscopies [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1463130721

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Zavvos, Konstantinos. Collection And Pre-Concentration of Aerosol for Optical Spectroscopies. 2016. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1463130721.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Zavvos, Konstantinos. "Collection And Pre-Concentration of Aerosol for Optical Spectroscopies." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1463130721

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)