Aethalometer® Product Specifications Rack Mount Chassis Models AE 22 and AE 31

							Aethalometer®                                                                           Product Specifications
Rack Mount Chassis - Models AE-22 and
AE-31

                                                               Time Resolution (User specified)
                                                               AE-22: 1 hour to 15 seconds
                                                               AE-31: 1 hour to 2 minutes

                                                               Intercomparison
                                                               Aethalometer readings compare 1:1 with chemical analy-
                                                               sis for EC on parallel filter samples.

                                                               Sensitivity
                                                               Proportional to flow rate, inversely proportional to time
                                                               resolution - approximately 0.1 ug/m3 @ 1-minute resolu-
                                                               tion @ 3 LPM.

                                                               Noise Cancellation:
                                                               Short-timebase data may be integrated over longer peri-
                                                               ods to recover data exactly equivalent to higher-sensitiv-
Measurement Principle                                          ity operation at longer timebases.
Incremental optical transmission absorption due to aero-
sol deposit collected continuously on quartz fiber filter.     Flow Rate
                                                               2 to 6 LPM optimum, monitored by mass flow meter.
Analytical Method                                              Internal pump provides 2 to 6 LPM, stabilized by closed-
AE-22 (‘Dual-Wave’):                                           loop control.
Combination optical absorption measurement at 880 nm
(‘EC’), and 370 nm (designated as ‘UVPM’, interpreted as       Aerosol Sizing
an indicator of aromatic organic                               Instrument collects all aerosol presented at inlet port.
compounds such as are found in tobacco smoke, PAH              Size-segregating inlets (impactors, cyclones etc.) may be
mixtures, wood and biomass-burning smoke, etc.).               attached.
                                                               Note: In almost all situations, the vast majority of EC aero-
AE-31 (‘Spectrum’):                                            sol is in the PM2.5 submicron aerodynamic size range (i.e.
Simultaneous measurement at 7 wavelengths for studies          less than 2.5 μm).
of aerosol optical absorption, atmospheric optics, radia-
tive transfer etc.: 370, 470, 520, 590, 660,                   Sampling Medium
880 and 950 nm. Special ‘alternative wavelength set’ opti-     Reinforced quartz fiber tape. Tape advances automatically
cal sources are available upon request.                        to avoid optical saturation, advances 1 cm typically once
                                                               every few hours depending on concentration and flow
Interpretation                                                 rate. 15-meter roll of tape usually lasts from months to
Optical absorption is interpreted in real time as concen-      years at most locations.
tration of Elemental Carbon (‘EC’, also called ‘Black Carbon
– BC’).                                                        Sample Retention
                                                               Aerosol is collected on quartz fiber tape. Subsequent
Specificity                                                    chemical analysis can be performed on the sample spots
No other aerosol species has optical absorption even           following collection.
0.001 times that of Elemental Carbon in the visible range.




                                 2020 Stuart Street                   ph 510.845.2801                    www.mageescientific.com
                                 Berkeley, CA 94703                   fax 510.845.7137

                                                                             Specifications - Rack Mount Aethalometer, Page 1 of 2, Jun 07
Product Specifications


Sample Collection Area                                          Periodic Maintenance
Sample is collected on a defined spot on the filter fiber       We recommend a flow rate verification every three
tape.                                                           months, and cleaning the inlet assembly once per year.
Options: ‘High Sensitivity’ option provides a small, con-
centrating spot for optimal performance at locations of         Reliability
low concentration                                               Aethalometers have been operating at hundreds of
‘Extended Range’ option provides a larger, dispersing           urban, regional, rural and remote locations on all conti-
spot for optimal performance in areas of high concentra-        nents, continuously since 1986.
tion.
                                                                Size
Internal Control                                                Instrument constructed in fully-enclosed 19” rack mount
All functions controlled by embedded single-board               chassis, 10.5” (6U) high, 12” deep. Additional benchtop
computer. Program and operating parameters stored in            cabinet optional.
non-volatile RAM.
                                                                Weight
Data Output                                                     Approx. 40 lbs (18 kg).
Digital data is transmitted from rear COM port. Analog
output connector represents BC data as 0~5 volt DC sig-         Power Requirement
nal, scalable in software.                                      100~240 VAC 50~400 Hz, autoswitching : 40 watts.

Data Recording                                                  Operation Environment
Data are written to recording medium once every time-           Specified for typical indoor conditions. Not inherently
base period.                                                    weatherproof - additional enclosure recommended.
Option
Floppy Disk is standard.                                        Temperature
Flash memory drive may be substituted                           0 ~ 40 ºC operating. Electronics have active temperature
                                                                stabilization.
Display and Interface
4-line display screen (date, time, BC etc.); status indicated   Vibration
by color-coded LED’s (OK, initializing, problem etc.); key-     No effect for vibration up to levels typical of car at high-
pad for menu selection entries.                                 way speed.

Attention Required                                              Initialization
Instrument is completely automatic. No user attention is        Approximately 15 minutes required from power-up to
required at all while operating. Starts and runs automati-      valid data.
cally upon switching on. Recovers automatically from
power interruptions.

Consumables Required
The only consumable required is filter tape, approximate-
ly 1 roll per year.




                                  2020 Stuart Street                    ph 510.845.2801                   www.mageescientific.com
                                  Berkeley, CA 94703                    fax 510.845.7137

                                                                              Specifications - Rack Mount Aethalometer, Page 2 of 2, Jun 07