Atmospheric Measurement Techniques | 2019
Derivation of flow rate and calibration method for high-volume air samplers
Abstract
Abstract. Sampling the atmosphere to analyze contaminants is\ndifferent from other environmental matrices because measuring the volume of\nair collected requires a mechanical flow-through device to draw the air and\nmeasure its flow rate. The device used must have the capability of\nconcentrating the analytes of interest onto a different substrate because\nthe volumes of air needed are often on the order of hundreds of cubic meters. The use\nof high-volume air samplers has grown since 1967, when recommended limits of\na large number of organic contaminants in air were developed. Equations used\nfor calculating the air flow through the device over time have similarly\nbeen developed. However, the complete derivation of those equations has\nnever appeared in the scientific literature. Here a thorough derivation of\nthose equations is provided with definitions of the mechanical systems that\nare used in the process, along with the method of calibrating and\ncalculating air flow.