Personal thoracic CIP10-T sampler and its static version Cathia-T

Abstract A specific version of the personal aerosol sampler CIP 10 was designed, named CIP10-T, for sampling the conventional CEN thoracic fraction. A static sampler, named CATHIA, was also designed. It uses the same sampling head, but the size selected particles are collected onto a filter. The combined particle efficiency of the aspiration slot and the selector was measured in a horizontal wind tunnel at low air velocity, close to 16 cm s −1 . The flow rate of both samplers was fixed at its nominal value, i.e., 7 l min −1 . Two different methods were used: the former was based on the Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (TSI); the latter used the measurement of particle size distribution of the collected samples by the Coulter technique. For the CIP10-T sampler, the particle collection efficiency onto the rotating cup was also measured. For both samplers bias and accuracy maps have been calculated, following the recommendations of a new CEN standard about sampler performance. The bias does not exceed 10% in absolute value for both samplers, within a large range of particle size distribution of the total aerosol. For the CIP10-T sampler, the accuracy map exhibits a large area where the accuracy is better than 10%, corresponding for example to 4  μ m≤MMAD≤14  μ m for GSD=2. For the same geometric standard deviation, the accuracy is still better than 20% for 15  μ m≤MMAD≤21  μ m. For the CATHIA-T sampler, the accuracy map can be roughly divided into two parts. The accuracy remains better than 10% for MMAD≤12  μ m, and it remains between 10 and 20% for coarser aerosols, with 13  μ m≤MMAD≤20  μ m, provided GSD≥2.