Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2)

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The SP2 is Droplet’s premier instrument for direct measurement of black carbon in individual aerosol particles. The SP2 delivers unmatched detail about black carbon particles, including mass, size, heat of vaporization, and coating – critical information for characterization of pollution sources, accurate description of optical properties, and prediction of health effects.

Product Description The Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) is the only instrument in the world that directly measures the black carbon (soot) in individual aerosol particles. Its high sensitivity, fast response, and specificity to elemental carbon make it the premier instrument for characterizing air pollution sources and documenting thin, atmospheric layers of contamination. It is also ideal for measuring soot in snow, ice or water and for calibrating other black carbon-measuring instruments like the Aethalometer.

Advantage Characteristics

Technical Parameter

Application Scope

Classic Cases

Advantage Characteristics

Measures particle optical size using light scattering Counts particles at concentrations up to 16,000 particles/sec (8,000 particles/cm³ at a sample flow rate of 120 volumetric cm3 /minute) Detects black carbon mass at minute concentrations (below 10 ng/m³ )

Measures black carbon (soot) mass in individual aerosol particles Uses Nd:YAG intracavity laser-induced particle incandescence (LII), a technique that measures black carbon mass independently of particle mixing state and hence yields more accurate results Provides full data recording of each particle event

Technical Parameter

Measured Parameters Single-particle laser incandescence Single-particle light scattering
Auxiliary Parameters Temperature Pressure
Derived Parameters BC mass distribution as function of particle diameter Particle number distribution as a function of particle size
Maximum Data Acquisition Rate 0 – 12,500 particles/cm³ at 120 vccm (0 - 25,000 particles/sec; concentrations can basically increase until particles become coincident)
Particle Size Range Scattering signal: 200 – 430 nm diameter (this range encompasses the accumulation mode of most particles, i.e. range where most mass is found). Incandescent signal: depends on particle density, but 70 – 500 nm mass-equivalent diameter assuming a black carbon density of 1.8 g/cm³
Aerosol Medium Air, 0 - 40 °C (32 - 104 °F)
Lasers Nd:YAG Laser: 1064 nm, 3 MW/cm² intracavity circulating power Pump Laser: 808 nm, 4 W
Sample Flow 30 – 180 volumetric cm³/minute (typically 120)
Flow Control Electronic flow control with a laminar flow element (LFE) and a solenoid valve
Pump Two single-head diaphragm pumps encased in a box
Minimum Black Carbon Detection Limit 10 ng/m³ 0.3 fg/particle
Front Panel Display System power switch； 2 USB 2.0 ports ；1/8 in. Swagelok® sample inlet ；Laser ON/OFF indicator light
Rear Panel Connections Keyboard port； Mouse port； VGA and HDMI monitor ports； Ethernet port； 2 RS-232 communications ports； 4 USB 2.0 ports； eSATA port ；¼ in. Swagelok® purge line； ¼ in. Swagelok® exhaust line； Exhaust vents； System and pump power connections
Computer System On-board Intel®Core™ i7 CPU；8 GB RAM；750 GB hard drive for data storage；NI PCI-6133 DAQ interface card；NI PCI-6259 housekeeping data card；User interface via standard keyboard, mouse, and 19” monitor (included)
Data Storage Capacity Depends on number of particles; at a concentration of 1,000 #/cm³ and a standard flow rate of 120 volumetric cm3 /minute, the SP2 computer has the capacity to store 56 hours of continuous data
Communications Output Gigabyte Ethernet interfaced through an Intel® PC82573V PCIe GbE controller
Power Requirements SP2: Universal Voltage External Pump: 30 W
Dimensions SP2: 48 cm W x 61 cm L x 26 cm H Pump: 20 cm W x 25 cm L x 10 cm H 19
Weight SP2: 26.1 kg Pump: 3.4 kg 19
Environmental Operating Conditions Temperature: 0 – 40°C (32 – 104 °F) RH: 0 – 100% RH non-condensing