Ultrafine and Nanoparticle Calibration Facility

Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) has launched a particle calibration facility using dry soot particles produced by a propane flame based on the miniCAST technology coupled with an SwRI-patented catalytic stripper.

Specifications

This calibration facility is located at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, and is capable of producing:

• Particle mass concentrations ranging from 5 µg/m³ to 80 mg/m³, with less than 5% coefficient of variation
• Particle number concentrations ranging from 10 part./cm³ to 5 x 107 part./cm³, with less than 5% coefficient of variation
• Particle size distributions with geometric number mean diameters ranging from 15 nm to 120 nm
• Flow rates up to 50 standard liters per minute

Soot agglomerates of combustion generated particles

Instrumentation

This facility is supported with state-of-the-art instrumentation such as:

• TSI scanning mobility particle sizer
• TSI engine exhaust particle sizer
• TSI electrometer
• TSI condensation particle counters
• AVL micro-soot sensor
• Sunset Laboratory semi-continuous organic carbon/elemental carbon, with NIST traceable elemental carbon capability

Capabilities

This facility is suitable for:

• Calibration and verification of solid particle measurement systems in compliance with Euro 5,6 and Euro VI regulations
• Particle instrument calibrations and performance checks
• Dilution system particle loss characterization
• Research and development on small-scale particle filters (filters can be evaluated at temperatures ranging from 25°C to 400°C)
• Particle inhalation studies

Particle generation system with the catalytic stripper technology

This flyer was published in July 2009. For more information about Ultrafine and Nanoparticle Calibration Facility, contact Imad Khalek, Ph.D., Phone (210) 522-2536, Fax (210) 522-3950, Engine, Emissions and Vehicle Research Division, Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228-0510.

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