Impactor cascade

Fig. 14-6. Schematic diagram of a four-stage cascade impactor. Source Giever, P. M., Particulate matter sampling and sizing, in "Air Pollution," 3rd ed., Vol. lil (A. C. Stem, ed.). Academic Press, New York, 1976, p. 41,...

Aerodynamic Diameter The aerodynamic diameter of a particle is defined as that of a sphere, whose density is 1 g cm " (cf. density of water), which settles in still air at the same velocity as the particle in question. This diameter is obtained from aerodynamic classifiers such as cascade impactors. 

FIGURE 13.43 (o) Principle of the impzaor, (b) cascade impactor/ and ( ) impactor collection efficiency... 

Cascade impactor An instrument used to sample and separate particulates into a number of successive fractions of different sizes. 

Cascade impactors. Cascade impactors provide information on particle or droplet size spectra within airborne sprays. The air is drawn through a series of chambers that allow sequential separation of different particle sizes based on their different velocities and masses. This type of collector is not as widely used as the sampling devices discussed previously because they are relatively difficult to operate and are expensive. Further information on this and other types of sampler for spray research can be found in the literature. ... 

A number of alternative sizing methods are available, and these are described in Table 8. The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, Inhalation Focus Group conducted a comprehensive review of available methods, which was published in a series of articles identified in the last column of the table. All of the methods described either have been or are currently employed in the development of aerosol products. However, at this time only the inertial samplers, cascade impactors and impingers appear in compendial standards and in regulatory guidelines [44-46], Other methods such as thermal imaging are also under development and may give complementary size information to the current methods. 

Pb-210, Be-7, P-32, S-35 (as So ), and stable so - were measured using cascade impactors. The activity distribution of Pb-212 and Pb-214 was largely associated with aerosols smaller than 0.52 pm. 

Aerodynamic Size Distributions of Naturally-Radioactive Aerosols. Measurements of radionuclide distributions using cascade impactors indicate that Be-7 and Pb-210 are associated with larger aerosols than Pb-212 and Pb-214 (Robig et al., 1980 Papastefanou and Bondietti, 1986). Measurements of Pb-210 associations over oceans indicated activity median aerodynamic diameters (AMAD) near 0.6 pm (Sanak et al., 1981). The impactor measurements of Moore et al. (1980) on Pb-210, Bi-210, and Sr-90 sizes in continental air indicated that about 80% of the activity from all three nuclides was associated with aerosols below 0.3 pm. That work also determined that the mean age of aerosol Pb-210 was about a week. Knuth et al. (1983) compared Pb-210 and stable Pb sizes at a continental location and found that 78% of the Pb-210 found below 1.73 pm was smaller than 0.58 pm. Young (1974) reported that the most of the Be-7 in the atmosphere was associated with submicron aerosols. 

Table III. Median Aerodynamic Diameters (MAD) and Geometric Standard Deviations (Og) of Pb-210 and Be-7 Based on Radioactivity and SO Measured with High-Volume Cascade Impactors...

The aerodynamic size distributions of Pb-214, Pb-212, Pb-210, Be-7, P-32, S-35-SoJ , and stable SO4 were measured using cascade impactors. Pb-212 and Pb-214, measured by alpha spectroscopy, were largely associated with aerosols small than 0.52 11m. Based on over 46 low-pressure impactor measurements, the mean activity median aerodynamic diameter (AMAD) of Pb-212 was found to be 0.13 11m, while for Pb-214 the AMAD was larger—0.16 lim. The slightly larger size of Pb-214, confirmed with operationally different impactors, was attributed to a-recoil-driven redistribution of Pb-214 following decay of aerosol-associated Po-218. A recoil model was presented that explained this redistribution. Low-pressure impactor measurements indicated that the mass median aerodynamic diameter of SoJ ... 

Program faculty members are developing an automated cascade impactor for collection of task-based size distribution data of beryllium-containing aerosols. Based on the size distribution, the fraction of beryllium-containing aerosol penetrating a respirator and the inhalation and deposition in different regions of the lungs can be estimated. 

It must also be emphasized that the major mass of a heterodispersed aerosol may be contained in a few relatively large particles, since the mass of a particle is proportional to the cube of its diameter. Therefore, the particle-size distribution and the concentration of the drug particles in the exposure atmosphere should be sampled using a cascade impactor or membrane filter sampling technique, monitored using an optical or laser particle-size analyzer, and analyzed using optical or electron microscopy techniques. 

Keywords Dissolution Permeability Dosage forms Bioavailability Blood-air barrier Cascade impactor... 

A further proof of principle was conducted by Cooney et al. who demonstrated the feasibility of the Andersen cascade impactor as a cell compatible deposition device [90], Permeability coefficients of fluorescent isothiocyanate-labeled dextrans after impaction as aerosols on Calu-3 cells were calculated. Deposition did not negatively affect the cell monolayer integrity. 

Schreier H, Gagne L, Conary JT, Laurian G (1998) Simulated lung transfection by nebulization of liposome cDNA complexes using a cascade impactor seeded with 2-CFSMEO-cells. J Aerosol Med 11 1-13... 

Chinn et al. (32) in 1976 pointed out that willowing mills have no byssinosis in spite of high dust levels (17-108 mgm/m ) and high concentration of trypsln-llke proteases (10i7 yg/m ) in mill air. Total airborne dust was collected by cascade impactors. 

Better collection methods are needed for stack measurements. Virtual Impactors or other devices that avoid the bounce-off problems of cascade Impactors should be developed. Methods for collection of very large amounts of size-segregated particles suitable for detailed organic analyses are needed. Better low-blank filter and collection-surface materials that can withstand high stack temperatures are needed. Careful attention should be given to the determination of vapor-phase species of volatile elements and compounds. 

The size distribution of the particulate matter in the 0.01-5 ym size range is analyzed on line using an electrical mobility analyzer and an optical particle counter. Samples of particles having aerodynamic diameters between 0.05 and 4 ym are classified according to size using the Caltech low pressure cascade impactor. A number of analytical procedures have been used to determine the composition distribution in these particles. A discrete mode of particles is observed between 0.03 and 0.1 ym. The major components of these particles are volatile elements and soot. The composition of the fine particles varies substantially with combustor operating conditions. 

Most of the published composition/size distribution data have been obtained by analyzing cascade impactor samples. Some of these data suffer from poor size classification as a result of particle bounce or reentrainment, seriously limiting size resolution. Even when this problem is overcome, the data obtained with conventional cascade impactors are not capable of resolving many details of the distribution of submicron particles. These instruments typically classify only those particles larger than 0.3-0.5 tam aerodynamic diameter. All smaller particles are collected on a filter downstream of the impactor. Some measurements of the variation of composition with size below this limit have been attempted by aerodynamically classifying resuspended ash ( ). These data suffer from incomplete disapregation as well as poor classification of the smaller particles. 

The aerosol produced by a laboratory pulverized coal combustor was size classified in the range 0.03 to 4 ym Stokes equivalent diameter using a low-pressure cascade impactor. The samples thus collected were analyzed using a focussed beam particle induced X-ray emission technique. This combination of techniques was shown to be capable of resolving much of the structure of the submicron coal ash aerosol. Two distinct modes in the mass distribution were observed. The break between these modes was at a particle size of about 0.1... 

Improved control devices now frequently installed on conventional coal-utility boilers drastically affect the quantity, chemical composition, and physical characteristics of fine-particles emitted to the atmosphere from these sources. We recently sampled fly-ash aerosols upstream and downstream from a modern lime-slurry, spray-tower system installed on a 430-Mw(e) coal utility boiler. Particulate samples were collected in situ on membrane filters and in University of Washington MKIII and MKV cascade impactors. The MKV impactor, operated at reduced pressure and with a cyclone preseparator, provided 13 discrete particle-size fractions with median diameters ranging from 0,07 to 20 pm with up to 6 of the fractions in the highly respirable submicron particle range. The concentrations of up to 35 elements and estimates of the size distributions of particles in each of the fly-ash fractions were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis and by electron microscopy, respectively. Mechanisms of fine-particle formation and chemical enrichment in the flue-gas desulfurization system are discussed. 

Sampling. Four aerosol samples were collected isokinetically on July 26, 1979, at ports on the inlet duct of the ESP at Plant A two were taken with 62-mm fluoropore filters and two were taken with the University of Washington MKV Cascade impactor (1 ). At plant D, samples were collected over a 6-day period at ports both in the outlet duct of the ESP (i.e., upstream of the FGD system) and at the 91-m level of the stack. Eleven fluoropore filter, 1 MKV, and 4 MKIII impactor samples at each location, giving a total of 22 filter, and 8 MKIII samples. A single MKV sample was also collected in-stack at reduced pressure at plant D during the 6-day period. Polycarbonate material coated with apiezon L vacuum grease and 62 or 47-mm-diam, l-pm pore Fluoropore filters were used as back-up filters in the MKV impactor. 

MARK V University of Washington Source Test Cascade Impactor Pollution Control Systems Corporation, Renton, Washington. 

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