Photochemical emission aging flow tube reactor – PEAR

The flow reactor method provides a well adjustable system for simulating atmospheric aging processes of various emissions. The setup is equipped with 254 nm UV lamps and external O3 feeding. The design was aided with CFD simulations in order to achieve as well-defined laminar flow profile as possible.

Specifications for the flow tube:

  • Typical flow rates 50-200 lpm -> 0.5-2 min residence time
  • Adjustable OH-exposure: ~ 109–1012 molec cm-3 s
  • Online monitoring of photochemical age via D9-butanol according to Barmet et al. (2012, AMT)
  • Particle losses: 1-10% for 50 nm particles, depending on the used flow rate.
Tube reactor