APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR CHARACTERIZING AN AEROSOL PARTICLE FLOW

摘要

An apparatus and method for improving aerosol particle characterization and detection accuracy in clean room applications that includes an optical particle sizer that receives a particle containing aerosol sample at a higher flow rate which is operatively coupled to an inertial aerosol concentrator for concentrating particles received from the optical particle sizer and delivering a lower flow rate, particle enriched output. The system further includes an optical sensor for sensing of intrinsic particle fluorescence of the lower, particle-enriched flow, since intrinsic fluorescence is a useful indicator of biological particles and biological particle viability, including bacterial particles. The system as a whole provides a measure derived from a single inlet flow both of total particles and of viable microbial particles based on their spectroscopic properties.

主权项

1. A particle characterization system comprising:
an optical particle sensor configured to receive an aerosol sample at a first flow rate and adapted to use light scattering to measure the particles in the aerosol sample; an aerosol particle concentrator adapted to receive the aerosol sample from the optical particle sensor and configured to emit a portion of the aerosol sample with an increased concentration of particles therein at a second flow rate that is lower than the first flow rate; and a spectral measurement device configured to receive the aerosol sample at the second flow rate and adapted to spectrally measure light emitted or absorbed by the particles in the aerosol sample.