title: Aerostat-lofted instrument and sampling method for determination of emissions from open area sources.
abstract: An aerostat-borne instrument and sampling method was developed to characterize air samples from area sources, such as emissions from open burning. The 10 kg battery-powered instrument system, termed "the Flyer", is lofted with a helium-filled aerostat of 4m nominal diameter and maneuvered by means of one or two tethers. The Flyer can be configured variously for continuous CO₂ monitoring, batch sampling of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), black carbon, metals, and PM by size. The samplers are controlled by a trigger circuit to avoid unnecessary dilution from background sampling when not within the source plume. The aerostat/Flyer method was demonstrated by sampling emissions from open burning (OB) and open detonation (OD) of military ordnance. A carbon balance approach was used to derive emission factors that showed excellent agreement with published values.
authors.affiliation: National Research Council, US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aurell
authors.forename: Brian K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Gullett
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pressley
authors.forename: Dennis G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Tabor
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Gribble
mesh_terms: D000388:Air / Q000032:analysis*; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis*; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D002245:Carbon Dioxide