Aerosol aging and concentrating drum and method

Abstract

A system with a rotatable drum and an exposure device configured to age and concentrate aerosol particles by simulating operational conditions. The system includes the rotatable drum; a port connected to the drum, an impactor with vacuum nozzles, the exposure device, and optionally an outlet port when the port is solely an inlet port. The port delivers the aerosol particles into the drum with the nozzles withdrawing air to increase the concentration of the particles. After aging and concentrating, evacuating the aerosol particles directly from the drum into at least one of an exposure chamber or a testing apparatus.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for aerosol aging and concentrating, said system comprising:
 a case;   a stand within said case;   a rotatable cylinder drum mounted on said stand, said drum having a first drum cap, a second drum cap, and a cylindrical wall connecting said first drum cap and said second drum cap, wherein said cylindrical wall includes transparent material;   an inlet port passing through said first drum cap at substantially an axle center of said rotatable drum;   an impactor mounted on said second drum cap and facing said inlet port, said impactor having a triangular concentrator nose and nozzles near a peripheral edge of said nose;   a vacuum valve system connected to said nozzles; and   an ultraviolet light source facing said rotatable drum and/or a heat exchanger within said case, said heat exchanger configured to heat or cool an interior of said case.   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said impactor further includes a base on which the nose is mounted and the base is mounted on said second drum cap, said vacuum valve system passing through said base; and
 said nose having three different curvatures from a tip to the peripheral edge with a curvature of said nose at the peripheral edge approaching a plane perpendicular to the axial center of said rotatable drum.   
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said impactor further includes a base on which the nose is mounted and the base is mounted on said second drum cap, said vacuum valve system passing through said base; and
 said nose flares out from a tip to the peripheral edge.   
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said impactor further includes a base on which the nose is mounted and the base is mounted on said second drum cap, said vacuum valve system passing through said base; and
 a ratio of a height of said nose to said height of said nose and said base is 3 to 7.   
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said nose transitions from a steeper slope at a tip to a shallower slope at the peripheral edge. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising sampling tubes passing through said first drum cap. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an in-line dryer and/or an in-line humidification device, and   a humidity sensor.   
     
     
         8 . A system for aerosol aging and concentrating for simulating operational conditions on aerosol particles, said system comprising:
 a rotatable drum;   an inlet port connected to said rotatable drum, said inlet port configured to receive aerosol particles;   a nozzle connected to said rotatable drum, said nozzle configured to expel air from the rotatable drum to concentrate the aerosol particles within said rotatable drum;   an exposure device configured to expose the aerosol particles present in said rotatable drum to at least one environmental condition;   an outlet port connected to said rotatable drum, said outlet port configured to evacuate the aerosol particles directly from said rotatable drum into an exposure chamber and/or a testing apparatus.   
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 8 , further comprising an inverted virtual impactor that concentrates the aerosol particles and prevents the aerosol particles from being evacuated from said rotatable drum by obstructing particle advection within exiting stream lines. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said rotatable drum includes ultraviolet light transparent material. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 10 , wherein said exposure device includes an ultraviolet light source facing said rotatable drum and configured to exposes contents of said rotatable drum to ultraviolet light. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 8 , further comprising a case housing said rotatable drum, said inlet port, said nozzle, said exposure device, and said outlet port; and
 wherein said exposure device includes a heater exchanger configured to heat or cool an interior of said case.   
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 12 , further comprising a thermometer in said rotatable drum. 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said exposure device includes an in-line dryer connected to said inlet port, said in-line dryer configured to expose the aerosol particles to low humidity. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 14 , further comprising a humidity sensor in said rotatable drum. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said exposure device includes an in-line humidification device, said in-line humidification device configured to expose the aerosol particles to high humidity. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said exposure device exposes the aerosol particles present in said rotatable drum to ultraviolet light, heat, cold, high humidity, and low humidity. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said rotatable drum maintains the aerosol particles suspended along a central axis of rotation of said rotatable drum to prevent the aerosol particles from settling on a bottom of said rotatable drum. 
     
     
         19 . A method for aerosol aging and concentrating for simulating operational conditions, said method comprising:
 injecting aerosol particles into an inlet port of a rotating drum;   expelling air from the rotating drum via a nozzle to concentrate the aerosol particles within the drum;   closing the inlet port and the nozzle when a desired aerosol concentration is reached;   exposing the aerosol particles to at least one environmental condition;   evacuating the aerosol particles from the rotating drum after an aging period, the aerosol particles being evacuated directly from the rotating drum into either an exposure chamber or a testing apparatus.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein said exposing of the aerosol particles to at least one environmental condition includes exposing the aerosol particles to ultraviolet light, heat, cold, high humidity, and low humidity.