Generation of Nanoparticles with a Nebulizer-Cyclone System

Abstract

A cyclone was used to modify the droplet output with a threejet Collison nebulizer. The cyclone-nebulizer system was tested by producing ammonium fluorescein particles from a liquid suspension. The particle size distribution produced with the cyclone was smaller and narrower than that produced without the cyclone. Thus, the cyclone effectively removed the large droplets produced by the nebulizer. The nebulizer-cyclone system reduced the GSD of the output aerosol from 1.7 to 1.4. At the input pressures greater than 138 kPa, the concentration of 10-60 nm particles was greater with the cyclone than without the cyclone. These results are consistent with the shattering of large droplets within the cyclone and re-entrainment of these small secondary droplets. Optimization of the system using cyclone modeling to enhance the sharpness of cut, operational improvements, and decreased venting could maximize the output of tailored distributions of nanoparticles for various applications.

Ultrafine Particle Sampling with the UNC Passive Aerosol Sampler

“…The experimental setup shown in Figure 2 and used here is similar to that used by Sheehan et al (2009). HEPA filtered compressed air passed through a three-jet Collison nebulizer (BGI Inc., Waltham, MA) containing 0.03% (by volume) ammonium fluorescein in water.…”

Evolution of droplet size distribution in selected nebulizers

“…Nebulizers are also broadly employed as convenient and reliable atomizers in the various studies in the aerosol science and analytics (Sheehan et al, 2009;Geersten et al, 2012;Grimm, 2020;TSE Systems, 2020), including testing the facemasks that are used for protection against inhaled aerosols (Bałazy et al, 2006). This is why it seems important to look closer at the characteristics of these spraying devices in a more general sense.…”