Modeling Critical Air Exchange Rates (CAERs) for aerosol number concentrations from nano-particle sources using an "effective coagulation coefficient" approach. Issue 4 (3rd April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Anand, S.; Mayya, Y. S.
• Is Part Of: Aerosol science and technology. Volume 51:Issue 4(2017)
• Page Start: 421
• Page End: 429
• Publication Date: 2017-04-03
• Subjects: Nicole Riemer; Aerosols -- Periodicals; Aerosol Propellants -- Periodicals; Aerosols -- Periodicals; 660.294515
• DOI: 10.1080/02786826.2016.1267328
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0278-6826

Abstract

ABSTRACT: An important issue in the context of air pollution by indoor combustion sources pertains to the joint effect of source strength, coagulation, and ventilation rate on the ultrafine particle exposure metrics. It was recently predicted by detailed numerical analysis of the Smoluchowski coagulation equation with continuous source and sink terms that the ultrafine particle number, mass, and surface area concentrations do not monotonically decrease with increasing air exchange rate, but display peak concentrations at certain Critical Air Exchange Rates (CAERs). As these results are of considerable significance for exposure assessment as well as for implementing particle control technologies, it is necessary to assess the CAER for different aerosol characteristics. Given the fact that the numerical method of solving coagulation equation with realistic Fuchs kernel is computationally intensive, simpler semi-analytical approaches are desired for providing reasonable estimates of CAER and clearer insight into the counter-intuitive, peaking behavior. In this article, we present such an approach by replacing the Fuchs kernel by a spectrum-averaged effective coagulation coefficient, within the framework of the steady-state model. The effective coagulation coefficient is size independent but depends implicitly on the aerosol concentration thus capturing the combined effect of coagulation and removal processes. The number concentrations obtained from this method have been compared and validated against the numerical solutions. The model predicts more pronounced effects on the peaking behavior as well as larger CAER values for fractal particles as compared to compact particles. The results are further discussed. Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research