Comparison of four scanning mobility particle sizers at the Fresno Supersite

Size distributions of ambient aerosols at the Fresno Supersite were measured with four commercially available scanning mobility particle sizers (SMPS). TSI nano, TSI standard, Grimm, and MSP instruments were collocated at the Fresno Supersite and particle size distributions were measured continuously from August 18 through September 18, 2005. For particles with diameters between 10 and 200 nm, differences among hourly-average ambient particle concentrations ranged from 0% between the TSI nano and Grimm in the 30–50 nm size range to 39% between the Grimm and MSP in the 10–30 nm size range. MSP concentrations were 10–33% lower than those measured with the TSI standard for particles smaller than 200 nm. The TSI nano and TSI standard agreed to within 5% in their overlapping size range (10–84 nm). The TSI nano and Grimm agreed to within 40% for 5–10 nm particles.

Graphical abstractSize distributions of ambient aerosols at the Fresno Supersite were measured from August 18 through September 18, 2005 with four commercially available scanning mobility particle sizers (SMPS). The comparison results represent the order of measurement uncertainty that instrument users can expect in real-world applications to an urban aerosol.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide