scholarly journals Characterisation of the Manchester Aerosol Chamber facility

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunqi Shao ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Mao Du ◽  
Aristeidis Voliotis ◽  
M. Rami Alfarra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Aerosol Chamber ◽  
C 50 ◽  
Multi Phase ◽  
Phase Chemistry

Abstract. This study describes the design of the Manchester Aerosol Chamber (MAC) and its comprehensive characterisation. The MAC is designed to investigate multi-phase chemistry and the evolution of aerosol physico-chemical properties from the real-world emissions (e.g. diesel engine, plants) or of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) produced from pure volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Additionally, the generated aerosol particles in MAC can be transferred to the Manchester Ice Cloud Chamber (MICC), which enables investigation of cloud formation in warm, mixed-phase and fully glaciated conditions (with T as low as −55 °C). MAC is an 18 m3 FEP Teflon chamber, with the potential to conduct experiments at controlled temperature (15–35 °C) and relative humidity (25–80 %) under simulated solar radiation or dark conditions. Detailed characterisations were conducted at common experimental conditions (25 °C, 50 % RH) for actinometry and determination of background contamination, wall losses of gases (NO2, O3, and selected VOCs), aerosol particles at different sizes, auxiliary mechanism and aerosol formation. In addition, the influences of chamber contamination on the wall loss rate of gases and particles, and the photolysis of NO2 were estimated.

Year-long observations of chemical properties of organic aerosols and cloud residuals at the Zeppelin Observatory, Svalbard

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvette Gramlich ◽  
Sophie Haslett ◽  
Karolina Siegel ◽  
Gabriel Freitas ◽  
Radovan Krejci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Trace Gases ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Radiative Properties ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Clouds ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Air Inlet

<p>The number of cloud seeds, e.g. cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nucleation particles (INP), in the pristine Arctic shows a large range throughout the year, thereby influencing the radiative properties of Arctic clouds. However, little is known about the chemical properties of CCN and INP in this region. This study aims to investigate the chemical properties of aerosol particles and trace gases that are of importance for cloud formation in the Arctic environment, with focus on the organic fraction.</p><p>Over the course of one full year (fall 2019 until fall 2020), we deployed a filter-inlet for gases and aerosols coupled to a chemical ionization high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer (FIGAERO-CIMS) using iodide as reagent ion at the Zeppelin Observatory in Svalbard (480 m a.s.l.), as part of the Ny-Ålesund Aerosol Cloud Experiment (NASCENT). The FIGAERO-CIMS is able to measure organic trace gases and aerosol particles semi-simultaneously. The instrument was connected to an inlet switching between a counterflow virtual impactor (CVI) inlet and a total air inlet. This setup allows to study the differences in chemical composition of organic aerosol particles and trace gases at molecular level that are involved in Arctic cloud formation compared to ambient non-activated aerosol.</p><p>We observed organic signal above background in both gas and particle phase all year round. A comparison between the gas phase mass spectra of cloud-free and cloudy conditions shows lower signal for some organics inside the cloud, indicating that some trace gases are scavenged by cloud hydrometeors whilst others are not. In this presentation we will discuss the chemical characteristics of the gases exhibiting different behavior during clear sky and cloudy conditions, and the implications for partitioning of organic compounds between the gas, aerosol particle and cloud hydrometeor (droplet/ice) phase.</p>

scholarly journals The impact of solar radiation on polar mesospheric ice particle formation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Nachbar ◽  
Henrike Wilms ◽  
Denis Duft ◽  
Tasha Aylett ◽  
Kensei Kitajima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Polar Mesospheric Clouds ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Ice Particles ◽  
Small Aerosol ◽  
Mesospheric Clouds ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Mean temperatures in the polar summer mesopause can drop to 130 K. The cold temperatures in combination with water vapor mixing ratios of a few parts per million give rise to the formation of ice particles. These ice particles may be observed as polar mesospheric clouds. Mesospheric ice cloud formation is believed to initiate heterogeneously on small aerosol particles (r 

scholarly journals LC-MS analysis of aerosol particles from the oxidation of α-pinene by ozone and OH-radicals

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Winterhalter ◽  
R. Van Dingenen ◽  
B. R. Larsen ◽  
N. R. Jensen ◽  
J. Hjorth
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Oh Radicals ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Alpha Pinene ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Pinic Acid

Abstract. The time resolved chemical composition of aerosol particles, formed by the oxidation of alpha-pinene has been investigated by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS) using negative and positive ionisation methods (ESI(-) and APCI(+)). The experiments were performed at the EUPHORE facility in Valencia (Spain) under various experimental conditions, including dark ozone reactions, photosmog experiments with low NOx mixing ratios and reaction with OH radicals in the absence of NOx (H2O2-photolysis). Particles were sampled on PTFE f ilters at different stages of the reaction and extracted with methanol. The predominant products from alpha-pinene in the particulate phase are cis-pinic acid, cis-pinonic acid and hydroxy-pinonic acid isomers. Another major compound with molecular weight 172 was detected, possibly a hydroxy-carboxylic acid. These major compounds account for 50% to 80% of the identified aerosol products, depending on the time of sampling and type of experiment. In addition, more than 20 different products have been detected and structures have been tentatively assigned based on their molecular weight and responses to the different ionisation modes. The different experiments performed showed that the aerosol formation is mainly caused by the ozonolysis reaction. The highest aerosol yields were observed in the dark ozone experiments, for which also the highest ratios of mass of identified products to the formed aerosol mass were found (30% to 50%, assuming a density of 1 g cm-3).

scholarly journals Exploring DMS oxidation and implications for global aerosol radiative forcing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ka Ming Fung ◽  
Colette L. Heald ◽  
Jesse H. Kroll ◽  
Siyuan Wang ◽  
Duseong S. Jo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Phase ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Dimethyl Sulfide ◽  
Methanesulfonic Acid ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Gas Phase Chemistry ◽  
Dms Oxidation ◽  
Phase Chemistry

Abstract. Aerosol indirect radiative forcing (IRF), which characterizes how aerosols alter cloud formation and properties, is very sensitive to the preindustrial (PI) aerosol burden. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS), emitted from the ocean, is a dominant natural precursor of non-sea-salt sulfate in the PI and pristine present-day (PD) atmospheres. Here we revisit the atmospheric oxidation chemistry of DMS, particularly under pristine conditions, and its impact on aerosol IRF. Based on previous laboratory studies, we expand the simplified DMS oxidation scheme used in the Community Atmospheric Model version 6 with chemistry (CAM6-chem) to capture the OH-addition pathway as well as the H-abstraction pathway and the associated isomerization branch. These additional oxidation channels of DMS produce several stable intermediate compounds, e.g., methanesulfonic acid (MSA) and hydroperoxymethyl thioformate (HPMTF), delay the formation of sulfate, and hence, alter the spatial distribution of sulfate aerosol and radiative impacts. The expanded scheme improves the agreement between modeled and observed concentrations of DMS, MSA, HPMTF, and sulfate over most marine regions based on the NASA Atmospheric Tomography (ATom), the Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA), and the VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) measurements. We find that the global HPMTF burden, as well as the burden of sulfate produced from DMS oxidation are relatively insensitive to the assumed isomerization rate, but the burden of HPMTF is very sensitive to a potential additional cloud loss. We find that global sulfate burden under PI and PD emissions increase to 412 Gg-S (+29 %) and 582 Gg-S (+8.8 %), respectively, compared to the standard simplified DMS oxidation scheme. The resulting annual mean global PD direct radiative effect of DMS-derived sulfate alone is −0.11  W m−2. The enhanced PI sulfate produced via the gas-phase chemistry updates alone dampens the aerosol IRF as anticipated (−2.2 W m−2 in standard versus −1.7 W m−2 with updated gas-phase chemistry). However, high clouds in the tropics and low clouds in the Southern Ocean appear particularly sensitive to the additional aqueous-phase pathways, counteracting this change (−2.3 W m−2). This study confirms the sensitivity of aerosol IRF to the PI aerosol loading, as well as the need to better understand the processes controlling aerosol formation in the PI atmosphere and the cloud response to these changes.

scholarly journals Tailoring of Hydrotalcite-Derived Cu-Based Catalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol

Catalysts ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leone Frusteri ◽  
Catia Cannilla ◽  
Serena Todaro ◽  
Francesco Frusteri ◽  
Giuseppe Bonura
Keyword(s):  
Metallic Copper ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Active Phase ◽  
Co2 Hydrogenation ◽  
High Dispersion ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Typical Structure ◽  
Methanol Production ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Space Time Yield

Ternary CuxZnyAlz catalysts were prepared using the hydrotalcite (HT) method. The influence of the atomic x:y:z ratio on the physico-chemical and catalytic properties under CO2 hydrogenation conditions was probed. The characterization data of the investigated catalysts were obtained by XRF, XRD, BET, TPR, CO2-TPD, N2O chemisorption, SEM, and TEM techniques. In the “dried” catalyst, the typical structure of a hydrotalcite phase was observed. Although the calcination and subsequent reduction treatments determined a clear loss of the hydrotalcite structure, the pristine phase addressed the achievement of peculiar physico-chemical properties, also affecting the catalytic activity. Textural and surface effects induced by the zinc concentration conferred a very interesting catalyst performance, with a methanol space time yield (STY) higher than that of commercial systems operated under the same experimental conditions. The peculiar behavior of the hydrotalcite-like samples was related to a high dispersion of the active phase, with metallic copper sites homogeneously distributed among the oxide species, thereby ensuring a suitable activation of H2 and CO2 reactants for a superior methanol production.

A Numerical Approach to Determine Some Properties of Cylindrical Pieces of Bananas During Drying

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilton Pereira da Silva ◽  
Cleide M. D. P. S. e Silva ◽  
Aluizio Freire da Silva Junior ◽  
Alexandre José de Melo Queiroz
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Solution ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Moisture Diffusivity ◽  
Convective Drying ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Liquid Diffusion ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
C 50 ◽  
Volume Method

Abstract This article uses several liquid diffusion models to describe convective drying of bananas cut into cylindrical pieces. A two-dimensional numerical solution of the diffusion equation with boundary condition of the third kind, obtained through the finite volume method, was used to describe the process. The cylindrical pieces were cut into the following dimensions: length of about 21 mm and average radius of 15 mm. Drying air temperatures were 40°C, 50°C, 60°C and 70°C. In order to determine the process parameters, an optimizer was coupled with the numerical solution. A model that considers the shrinkage and variable effective moisture diffusivity well describes drying for all the experimental conditions, and enables to predict the moisture distributions at any given time. For this model, the determination coefficient has varied from 0.99937 (70°C) to 0.99995 (40°C), while the chi-square ranged from 3.41 × 10−4 (40°C) to 4.15 × 10−3 (70°C).

scholarly journals An adsorption theory of heterogeneous nucleation of water vapour on nanoparticles

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (15) ◽  
pp. 21883-21906
Author(s):  
A. Laaksonen ◽  
J. Malila
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapour ◽  
Heterogeneous Nucleation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Theoretical Description ◽  
Nucleation Theory ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Adsorption Theory ◽  
Ice Cloud

Abstract. Heterogeneous nucleation of water vapour on insoluble nuclei is a phenomenon that can induce atmospheric water and ice cloud formation. However, modelling of the phenomenon is hampered by the fact that the predictive capability of the classical heterogeneous nucleation theory is rather poor. A reliable theoretical description of the influence of different types of water-insoluble nuclei in triggering the water condensation or ice deposition would help to decrease uncertainty in large scale model simulations. In this paper we extend a recently formulated adsorption theory of heterogeneous nucleation to be applicable to highly curved surfaces, and test the theory against laboratory data for water vapour nucleation on silica, titanium dioxide and silver oxide nanoparticles. We show that unlike the classical heterogeneous nucleation theory, the new theory is able to quantitatively predict the experimental results.

scholarly journals Modelling multi-phase halogen chemistry in the remote marine boundary layer: investigation of the influence of aerosol size resolution on predicted gas- and condensed-phase chemistry

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 5289-5320 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lowe ◽  
D. Topping ◽  
G. McFiggans
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Gas Phase ◽  
Condensed Phase ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Gas Phase Chemistry ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Multi Phase ◽  
Phase Chemistry

Abstract. A coupled box model of photochemistry and aerosol microphysics which explicitly accounts for size-dependent chemical properties of the condensed-phase has been developed to simulate the multi-phase chemistry of chlorine, bromine and iodine in the marine boundary layer (MBL). The model contains separate seasalt and non-seasalt modes, each of which may be composed of 1–16 size-sections. By comparison of gaseous and aerosol compositions predicted using different size-resolutions with both fixed and size-dependent aerosol turnover rates, it was found that, for halogen-activation processes, the physical property initialisation of the aerosol-mode has a significant influence on gas-phase chemistry. Failure to adequately represent the appropriate physical properties can lead to substantial errors in gas-phase chemistry. The size-resolution of condensed-phase composition has a less significant influence on gas-phase chemistry.

scholarly journals On the origin of subvisible cirrus clouds in the tropical upper troposphere

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 14875-14926 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Reverdy ◽  
V. Noel ◽  
H. Chepfer ◽  
B. Legras
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Formation Processes ◽  
Ice Clouds ◽  
Back Trajectories ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Atmospheric Phenomena ◽  
Mean Variance ◽  
Lidar Observations

Abstract. Spaceborne lidar observations have recently revealed a previously undetected significant population of SubVisible Cirrus (SVC). We show them to be colder than −74 °C, with an optical depth below 0.0015 on average. The formation and persistence over time of this new cloud population could be related to several atmospheric phenomena. In this paper, we investigate the importance of external processes in the creation of this cloud population, vs. the traditional ice cloud formation theory through convection. The importance of three scenarios in the formation of the global SVC population is investigated through different approaches that include comparisons with data imaging from several spaceborne instruments and back-trajectories that document the history and behavior of air masses leading to a point in time and space where subvisible cirrus were detected. In order simplify the study of cloud formation processes, we singled out SVC with coherent temperature histories (mean variance lower than 4 K) according to back-trajectories along 5, 10 or 15 days (respectively 58, 25 and 11% of SVC). Our results suggest that external processes, including local increases in liquid and hygroscopic aerosol concentration (either through biomass burning or volcanic injection forming sulfate-based aerosols in the troposphere or the stratosphere) have no noticeable short-term or mid-term impact on the SVC population. On the other hand, we find that ~60% of air masses interacted with convective activity in the days before they led to cloud formation and detection, which correspond to 37 to 65% of SVC. These results put forward the important influence of classical cloud formation processes compared to external influences in forming SVC. They support the view that the SVC population observed by CALIOP is an extension of the general upper tropospheric ice clouds population with its extreme thinness as its only differentiating factor.

scholarly journals Laser filament-induced aerosol formation

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4593-4604 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Saathoff ◽  
S. Henin ◽  
K. Stelmaszczyk ◽  
M. Petrarca ◽  
R. Delagrange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Production ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
Oxygen Mixture ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Particle Yield ◽  
The Given ◽  
Terawatt Laser

Abstract. Using the aerosol and cloud simulation chamber AIDA, we investigated the laser filament induced particle formation in ambient air, humid synthetic air, humid nitrogen, argon–oxygen mixture, and pure argon in order to simulate the particle formation under realistic atmospheric conditions as well as to investigate the influence of typical gas-phase atmospheric constituents on the particle formation. Terawatt laser plasma filaments generated new particles in the size range 3 to 130 nm with particle production rates ranging from 1 × 107 to 5 × 109 cm−3 plasma s−1 for the given experimental conditions. In all cases the particle formation rates increased exponentially with the water content of the gas mixture. Furthermore, the presence of a few ppb of trace gases like SO2 and α-pinene clearly enhanced the particle yield by number, the latter also by mass. Our findings suggest that new particle formation is efficiently supported by oxidized species like acids generated by the photoionization of both major and minor components of the air, including N2, NH3, SO2 and organics.

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