Performance of the Naneos partector 2 multi-metric nanoparticle detector at reduced temperature and pressure conditions

Abstract

Portable instruments that can measure the number concentration and size of airborne nanoparticles are very useful for assessing their impacts on human health and climate, mainly because they can enable personal monitoring when carried by individuals, and/or 2- or 3-dimensional mappings when employed onboard mobile platforms. Partector 2 (P2), which is a lightweight and portable instrument manufactured by Naneos Particle Solutions GmbH (Windisch, Switzerland), can determine the concentration (up to 10⁶ #/cm³) and average diameter of aerosol particles having sizes from 10 to 300 nm, making it an excellent candidate for such measurements. Although its performance has been investigated at standard conditions (i.e., ground level pressure and room temperatures), it has not been assessed under reduced pressure and temperature conditions that are typically encountered at higher altitudes; e.g., when employed outdoors in mountainous environments and/or onboard Unmanned Aerial Systems; UASs. Here we assess the counting and sizing capabilities of P2 at temperatures from ca. 22 down to 4 °C, and pressures from 1013 down to 710 hPa that correspond to altitudes from sea level to ca. 3 km. Our results show that the performance of the instrument is not substantially affected when operated at these conditions, remaining within the accuracy thresholds of ±30% reported by the manufacturer. P2, therefore, qualifies for outdoor use at higher altitudes, and can be employed in such environments to determine the number concentration and mean size of sub-300 nm aerosol particles, complementing existing portable optical particle counters that are already employed onboard aerial systems.