Absorption/Transmission Measurements of PSAP Particle-Laden Filters from the Biomass Burning Observation Project...

Absorptivity measurements with a laser-heating approach, referred to as the laser-driven thermal reactor (LDTR), were carried out in the infrared and applied at ambient (laboratory) non-reacting conditions to particle-laden filters from a three-wavelength (visible) particle/soot absorption photometer (PSAP). The particles were obtained during the Biomass Burning Observation Project (BBOP) field campaign. The focus of this study was to determine the particle absorption coefficient from field-campaign filter samples using the LDTR approach, and compare results with other commercially available instrumentation (in this case with the PSAP, which has been compared with numerous other optical techniques). Advantages of the LDTR approach include 1) direct estimation of material absorption from temperature measurements (as opposed to resolving the difference between the measured reflection/scattering and transmission), 2) information on the filter optical properties, and 3) identification of the filter material effects on particle absorption (e.g., leading to particle absorption enhancement or shadowing). For measurements carried out under ambient conditions, the particle absorptivity is obtained with a thermocouple placed flush with the filter back surface and the laser probe beam impinging normal to the filter particle-laden surface. Thus, in principle one can employ a simple experimental arrangement to measure simultaneously both the transmissivity and absorptivity (at different discrete wavelengths) and ascertain the particle absorption coefficient. For this investigation, LDTR measurements were carried out with PSAP filters (pairs with both blank and exposed filters) from eight different days during the campaign, having relatively light but different particle loadings. The observed particles coating the filters were found to be carbonaceous (having broadband absorption characteristics). The LDTR absorption coefficient compared well with results from the PSAP. The analysis was also expanded to account for the filter fiber scattering on particle absorption in assessing particle absorption enhancement and shadowing effects. The results indicated that absorption enhancement effects were significant, and diminished with increased filter particle loading.