ISSN:
1573-2932
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering
Notes:
Abstract A highly sensitive, lightweight, portable instrument has been developed for continuous monitoring of N02 in air. It operates by detecting the chemiluminescence produced when N02 encounters a surface wetted with a specially formulated solution containing luminol. Unlike other chemiluminescent instruments it measures N02 directly and does not require prior conversion of N02 to NO. It does not respond to H202, NO, HNO3, NH3, CO, C02, S02 or organic nitrates. The only interferences encountered to date are from 03 and PAN with the response to 03 being less than 0.2% of its response to N02. The response time of the instrument is less than 1 s and its sensitivity is better than 5 pptv. The instrument shows a negative temperature dependence of about 2% °C−1 which is compensated electronically. Measurements have been made with the instrument during a number of field missions in polluted urban and relatively clean rural air. The relative influences of photochemistry and transport from local sources has been observed. Simultaneous measurements made with this instrument and the unequivocal tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy method have shown excellent agreement.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00305179
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