Energy-Efficient Monitoring of Fine Particulate Matter with Tiny Aerosol Conditioner

Fine particulate matter (PM) is associated with an increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Fine PM absorbs water molecules at high relative humidity, and then their size grows. Such hygroscopic growth causes a large error when monitoring PM concentrations. To lower the relative humidity, monitors use an indirect heating device, which is large and consumes large amounts of power. The problem with conventional particle separators is that their efficiency depends on temperature and humidity, and their traditional structure, which lets air flow downward. As such, this paper addresses these problems and presents a PM monitor with a new type of dryer that is free from these problems. The proposed monitor requires less energy and has an efficient dehumidifier and a new structure in which air flows upward. The presented experiments were conducted to compare the proposed device with a reference monitor managed by a governmental institute, and to evaluate the effect of the dehumidifier, the relative precision of the proposed devices, and the correlation with the reference monitor. The experimental results showed that the proposed monitor satisfies the U.S. EPA indicators for class III monitors.