Experimental evaluation of oil mists using a semivolatile aerosol dichotomous sampler.

The sampling performance of the semivolatile aerosol dichotomous sampler (SADS) was tested and compared with existing vapor and particle sampling methods: filtration, electrostatic precipitation, and vapor adsorption. Seven different test fluids were used to generate test droplets, and their concentrations and composition in each phase were evaluated using gas chromatography. The amount of wall loss inside the SADS was also evaluated. Combined vapor and particle concentrations for each test aerosol were not statistically different from one another as a function of test method. However, the particle concentrations estimated using the SADS were statistically higher than those from the other methods. In experiments with hexadecane, the particle concentrations estimated using the SADS, an electrostatic precipitator, and a glass fiber filter were 2.50 mg/m3, 0.05 mg/m3, and 0.01 mg/m3, respectively. For commercial metalworking fluid (MWF) droplets, compounds having low molecular weight were more prevalent in the vapor phase than those compounds with high molecular weight. The compositions of the particle phase were similar to those of the original fluids. The wall losses of hexadecane and bis(2-ethylhexyl) sebacate (BEHS) were 0.25% and 26.5% of combined vapor and particle concentrations in the SADS sampling, respectively. Because it can avoid evaporative losses, SADS will sample semivolatile aerosols more accurately than common filtration methods and may often yield higher particle concentrations than can be measured using the other methods.