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Understanding characteristics of diurnal particle concentration variation in an underground subway tunnel is important to reduce subway passengers' exposure to high levels of toxic particle pollution. In this study, real-time particle monitoring for eight consecutive days was done at a shelter located in the middle of a one-way underground subway tunnel in Seoul, Republic of Korea, during the summer of 2015. Particle mass concentration was measured using a dust monitor and particle number concentration using an optical particle counter. From the diurnal variations in PM 10 , PM 2.5 , and PM 1 , concentrations of particles larger than 0.54 μm optical particle diameter were affected by train frequency whereas those of particles smaller than 0.54 μm optical particle diameter were not changed by train frequency. Number concentration of particles smaller than 1.15 μm optical particle diameter was dependent on outdoor ambient air particle concentration level, whereas that of particles larger than 1.15 μm optical particle diameter was independent of outdoor ambient air due to low ventilation system transmission efficiency of micrometer-sized particles. In addition, an equation was suggested to predict the diurnal particle concentration in an underground tunnel by considering emission, ventilation, and deposition effects.

Exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) causes several diseases in the human body. The smaller particles, which have relatively large surface areas, are actually more harmful to the human body since they can penetrate deeper parts of the lungs or become secondary pollutants by bonding with other atmospheric pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides. The purpose of this study is to present the number of PM inhaled by subway users as a possible reference material for any analysis of the hazards to the human body arising from the inhalation of such PM. Two transfer stations in Seoul, Korea, which have the greatest number of users, were selected for this study. For 0.3-0.422 μm PM, particle number concentration (PNC) was highest outdoors but decreased as the tester moved deeper underground. On the other hand, the PNC between 1 and 10 μm increased as the tester moved deeper underground and showed a high number concentration inside the subway train as well. An analysis of the particles to which subway users are actually exposed to (inhaled particle number), using particle concentration at each measurement location, the average inhalation rate of an adult, and the average stay time at each location, all showed that particles sized 0.01-0.422 μm are mostly inhaled from the outdoor air whereas particles sized 1-10 μm are inhaled as the passengers move deeper underground. Based on these findings, we expect that the inhaled particle number of subway users can be used as reference data for an evaluation of the hazards to health caused by PM inhalation., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

As the number of people using rapid transit systems (subways) continues to rise in major cities worldwide, increasing attention has been given to the indoor air quality of underground stations. This study intended to observe the change of PM distribution by size in an underground station with PSDs installed located near the main road in downtown Seoul, as well as to examine causes for the changes. The results indicate that the PM suspended in the tunnel flowed into the platform area even in a subway station where the effect of train-induced wind is blocked by installed PSDs, as this flow occurred when the PSDs were opened. The results also indicate that coarse mode particles generated by mechanical friction in the tunnel, such as that between wheels and rail, also flowed into the platform area. The PM either settled or was re-suspended according to size and whether the ventilation in the platform area was in operation or if the platform floor had been washed. The ventilation system was more effective in removing PM of smaller sizes (fine particles) while the wash-out performed after train operations had stopped reduced the suspension of coarse mode particles the next morning. Despite installation of the completely sealed PSDs, inflow of coarse mode particles from the tunnel seems unavoidable, indicating the need for measures to decrease the PM generated there to lower subway user exposure since those particles cannot be reduced by mechanical ventilation alone. This research implicate that coarse PM containing heavy metals (generated from tunnel side) proliferated especially during rush hours, during which it is very important to control those PM in order to reduce subway user exposure to this hazardous PM.

Given that around eight million commuters use the Seoul Metropolitan Subway (SMS) each day, the indoor air quality (IAQ) of its stations has attracted much public attention. We have monitored the concentration of particulate matters (PMx) (i.e., PM10, PM2.5, and PM1) in six major transfer stations per minute for three weeks during the summer, autumn, and winter in 2014 and 2015. The data were analyzed to investigate the relationship between PMx concentration and multivariate environmental factors using statistical methods. The average PM concentration observed was approximately two or three times higher than outdoor PM10 concentration, showing similar temporal patterns at concourses and platforms. This implies that outdoor PM10 is the most significant factor in controlling indoor PM concentration. In addition, the station depth and number of trains passing through stations were found to be additional influences on PMx. Principal component analysis (PCA) and self-organizing map (SOM) were employed, through which we found that the number of trains influences PM concentration in the vicinity of platforms only, and PMx hotspots were determined. This study identifies the external and internal factors affecting PMx characteristics in six SMS stations, which can assist in the development of effective IAQ management plans to improve public health., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Biomass fuel is used for cooking and heating, especially in developing countries. Combustion of biomass fuel can generate high levels of indoor air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study characterized PM and VOC emissions from cow dung combustion in a controlled experiment. Dung from grass-fed cows was dried and combusted using a dual-cone calorimeter. Heat fluxes of 10, 25, and 50 kW/m(2) were applied. The concentrations of PM and VOCs were determined using a dust spectrometer and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, respectively. PM and VOC emission factors were much higher for the lower heat flux, implying a fire ignition stage. When the heat flux was 50 kW/m(2), the CO2 emission factor was highest and the PM and VOC emission factors were lowest. Particle concentrations were highest in the 0.23-0.3 μm size range at heat fluxes of 25 and 50 kW/m(2). Various toxic VOCs, including acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, benzene, and toluene, were detected at high concentrations. Although PM and VOC emission factors at 50 kW/m(2) were lower, they were high enough to cause extremely high indoor air pollution. The characteristics of PM and VOC emissions from cow dung combustion indicated potential health effects of indoor air pollution in developing countries.

A hybrid dust collector attached to a subway train bottom was developed for the effective removal of subway particulate matter (PM), by considering the fluctuating speed of a subway train between stations. It combines an electrostatic precipitator, which has good collection efficiency when the flow velocity is low, and an inertial dust separator, which has good collection efficiency when the flow velocity is high. The electrostatic precipitator and inertial dust separator guarantee a high collection efficiency regardless of the subway train operating speed by compensating for the other's shortcomings. Wind tunnel test and numerical simulation were conducted to verify the performance of the hybrid dust collector. The experiment and simulation results were compared to verify the prediction accuracy of the simulation method. The collection efficiencies of the electrostatic precipitator and inertial dust separator were then simulated for various operating speeds of the subway train to predict the overall collection efficiency of the hybrid dust collector. As a result, when airflow velocity at the hybrid dust collector inlet varied from 2 to 8 m/s, subway PM10 or PM2.5 collection rate of a single hybrid dust collector was predicted to be in the range 88 ∼ 123 μg/s or 30 ∼ 35 μg/s, respectively. The use of multiple such hybrid dust collectors attached to the subway train bottom is expected to be effective in reducing fine dust concentration in subway tunnels. Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the indoor environment of subway stations and passengers’ comfort in three seasons. Six subway stations in Seoul were selected for physical environment measurements and a survey of 5282 passengers; these two components were conducted together. The questionnaire addressed thermal, air, light, acoustic and overall comfort. Seoul subway stations had large differences in air temperature in some seasons, and the air temperature in winter was very low. The concentration of particulate matter (PM) and carbon dioxide satisfied the indoor air quality maintenance criteria. Most survey respondents felt ‘neutral’ about or ‘comfortable’ with the environment in the subway stations, even in very low temperatures. From the results of the correlation analysis between the SET* and the percentage of uncomfortable passengers, the comfort range was 16.1–31.2 SET*°C for the concourses and 15.9–31.5 SET*°C for the platforms, which was a wider range than previous studies from other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Numerous reports have shown that fine particulates threaten human health. Since their health impact is associated with both mass and number concentrations, it is necessary to evaluate the emission standards for particulate mass accordingly. This study examined the particulate matter characteristics of diesel locomotive engine exhaust at various engine ratings. Diesel engine exhaust was collected via a dilution tunnel and the concentration and size distribution of fine particles were measured by a scanning mobility particle sizer. Exhaust gasses were measured simultaneously by a stack sampler. The maximum carbon monoxide emission was reached at 59% of the maximum rating, after which emissions decreased. The particle count median diameter increased with the engine rating, until a maximum was reached at 40% of the maximum rating. Most exhaust particles were nanoparticles with the nuclei mode range, a particle diameter (DP)<50nm. The increase in particles with the accumulation mode range, 50

The indoor air quality of subway systems can significantly affect the health of passengers since these systems are widely used for short-distance transit in metropolitan urban areas in many countries. The particles generated by abrasion during subway operations and the vehicle-emitted pollutants flowing in from the street in particular affect the air quality in underground subway stations. Thus the continuous monitoring of particulate matter (PM) in underground station is important to evaluate the exposure level of PM to passengers. However, it is difficult to obtain indoor PM data because the measurement systems are expensive and difficult to install and operate for significant periods of time in spaces crowded with people. In this study, we predicted the indoor PM concentration using the information of outdoor PM, the number of subway trains running, and information on ventilation operation by the artificial neural network (ANN) model. As well, we investigated the relationship between ANN’s performance and the depth of underground subway station. ANN model showed a high correlation between the predicted and actual measured values and it was able to predict 67 ∼ 80% of PM at 6 subway station. In addition, we found that platform shape and depth influenced the model performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contributions of exhaust and non-exhaust sources to traffic-related particulate matter (PM) pollution in the atmosphere are almost identical and the most important non-exhaust source is known to be brake wear particles. In order to understand the properties and harmful effects of wear particles on people, accurate information on size distribution of brake wear particles is needed. Our previous study investigated the measured changes in size distribution of nanoparticles of 500 nm or smaller to understand the origin of nanoparticles due to temperature increases on the friction surface. The present study was intended to investigate the characteristics of size distribution (5.6 nm–32 μm) of PM released under different braking conditions by using different instruments. The measurement results under 9 braking conditions using 3 different instruments showed that the size distribution characteristics of particles can be divided into two main types according to braking energy. The first type is of PM up to 10 μm in size and with a peak number concentration at 0.2–0.75 μm regardless of braking energy, while the second type is of PM around 10 nm in size generated only when braking energy increased and particles that increased up to 100 nm. In addition, we found that the size distributions measured by the optical particle counter (OPC) and the aerodynamic particle sizer (APS) were consistent by assuming a mean diameter ratio of two instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission reduction is one of the most efficient control measures in fuel-powered locomotives. The purpose of this study was to determine the reduction in particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC) emissions following the installation of a fuel activation device (FAD). The FAD was developed to enhance fuel combustion by atomizing fuel and to increase the surface area per unit volume of injected fuel. Emission reduction by the FAD was evaluated by installing a FAD in an operating diesel locomotive in Mongolia. The test was conducted on a train operating on a round-trip 238-km route between Ulaanbaatar and Choir stations in Mongolia. The fuel consumption rate was slightly reduced following the FAD installation. The FAD installation decreased PM and BC emissions in the diesel locomotive, especially coarse PM. The PM 10 reductions achieved after FAD installation were 58.0, 69.7, and 34.2% for the constant velocity, stopping, and acceleration stages of the train's operation, respectively. The BC reduction rates were 29.5, 52.8, and 27.4% for the constant velocity, stopping, and acceleration stages, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]