Comparison of Ultrafine Particles Monitored at a Roadside Using an SMPS and a TR-DMPS

A Transient Differential Mobility Particle Spectrometer (TR-DMPS) with a short response time was recently developed to monitor high concentration of ultrafine particles emitted from vehicles. To investigate the availability of the TR-DMPS for monitoring transient roadside aerosols, the number size distribution of ultrafine particles was monitored at the Cheongnyangni roadside in Seoul on March 23, 2007 together with a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS). The roadside aerosols were monitored every 5 min and 0.1 sec by using the SMPS and the TR-DMPS, respectively. The concentration of ultrafine particles at the roadside was highly fluctuated for a short duration. From the comparison of particle number concentrations and size distributions between two instruments, it was confirmed that the SMPS provided fairly good time-averaged number size distribution although it did not follow rapid change of particle number concentration at the roadside. The TR-DMPS quickly responded to a rapid change of particle number concentration due to abrupt traffic flow. However, the TR-DMPS frequently showed electrical noise events, resulting in underestimated particle contamination. A more stable operation of the TR-DMPS is needed in application of roadside aerosol monitoring.