Electrometric Aviation Soot Monitor

We propose to develop a sensitive PM measurement instrument to determine soot particle mass distribution from aircraft engine exhausts as well as from other IC engine emissions. Fundamental of the proposed technique is to measure particle charge under an electric field. Through extensive experimental and theoretical investigation on soot emissions from IC engines over the past four decades, it has been well-known that engine soot particles are usually charged. Counting particle charge at specific mass could lead to the determination of both total particle count and mass. Currently commercially available electrometric measurements on charged particles suffer from rapid signal drift, which limits its applications on soot emission measurements. In our proposed design, an amplitude modulation scheme is included to eliminate the background signal drift and also improve detection sensitivity. The proposed soot mass distribution monitor will be approximately 50 pounds in weight and consume approximately 300W electrical power. It will also be capable of being remotely controlled and operating under vacuum condition. Total cost of the proposed device could be less than $30,000.