ABSTRACT

Two identical PM₁₀ pre-separators, along with two identical low-volume (1m³/hr) total suspended particulate (TSP) samplers and two identical high-volume (85m³/hr) TSP samplers were tested side-by-side in a controlled laboratory dust chamber. The test results show that PM₁₀ samplers over-sample when exposed to ambient PM having mass median diameters (MMD's) larger than 10 micrometers aerodynamic equivalent diameter (AED). The cut-points and slopes of PM₁₀ pre-separator changed with the change of MMD's of inlet particulate matter (PM). The fractional efficiency curve shifted to the right with the decrease of the MMD of the inlet PM. Analysis of the results suggest that co-locating PM₁₀ and TSP samplers may offer a process that can be used to correct for PM₁₀ sampler error.