Numerical simulation of a multi-port differential mobility analyzer (MP-DMA) used in a real-time nano-particle sizer (NPS).

In a recently conducted study, we developed a nano-particle sizer (NPS) that consists of a multi-port differential mobility analyzer (MP-DMA) and two multi condensation particle counters (M-CPCs) for achieving fast measurements of aerosol particles; however, the performance of MP-DMA was not detailed in the study. Therefore, the objective of this study is to perform numerical simulations to obtain the transfer function of each port in the MP-DMA, which is the main component of the NPS. We observed good agreement between the numerically obtained central particle size of each port and the experimental data under the same operating conditions. The transmission probability and resolution of each port were determined and analyzed under various conditions using the transfer function. The findings of this study shall help in understanding the advantages of NPS. Unlabelled Image • Simulations on the MP-DMA in the newly developed real-time NPS were conducted. • A Lagrangian particle tracking with a flow rate weighted method was used. • Transfer functions of the MP-DMA were obtained for the performance evaluation. • Numerical transmission probability decreases with the increasing port number. • Increasing half-width of transfer function due to reducing aerosol/sheath ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]