Real-time measurement of the size distribution of diesel exhaust particles using a portable 4-stage electrical low pressure impactor

For this study, a 4 stage electrical low pressure impactor was designed to measure the real-time size distribution of diesel particulate matter (DPM). For the performance evaluation, sodium chloride (NaCl) particles and dioctyl sebacate (DOS) particles were used. After evaluating the collection efficiency of each stage of the impactor, the size distributions of test particles were estimated using electrical current data and their inversion algorithm, and this was found to agree with the results obtained by a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). For measurement of DPM, a common-rail direct injection (CRDI) diesel engine, for engine speeds of 1,200 rpm and 1,500 rpm at 2.7 kgfm, was used. Therefore, it was found that the size distribution of the DPM could be easily obtained, with the currents measured by the impactor and the data inversion algorithm, in less than 5 seconds. Furthermore, the effective density of the DPM could be obtained using the calculated results and the SMPS data.