Aspect   -  Aerosol Size and Shape Analyser  

The Aspect instrument is unique.

It is the only commercially available aerosol characterisation system that measures the shape of an airborne particle in real time, as well as its size and total particle concentration.

Using proprietary ASAS Technology in a compact, flexible mechanical design with easy to use software, the Aspect is a very powerful tool for a broad range of applications in research, development and process control  including:

• Aerosol research
• Climate change research, cloud formation studies
• Environmental monitoring, pollution concentrations
• Source apportionment
• Pharmaceuticals, particle formulation, particle morphology
• Biodetection, monitoring of bioaerosol levels
• Powder processes, particle discrimination

KEY FEATURES

A key feature of the Aspect is its high sensitivity which enables subtle changes in aerosol population to be detected. This is particularly useful for:

• Identifying subtle differences between aerosol or powder samples.
  Even when particle populations have continuous size and shape distributions, Aspect  has the sensitivity to spot very small changes in size and shape characteristics.

• Discriminating particle types within aerosol or powder mixtures.
  Aspect can discriminate discrete particle classes within a mixture by characterising particle shape. As a result, separate size or shape distributions can be generated and the ratio of particle species can be calculated.

ASAS Technology is at the core of Aspect operation. Developed jointly with the University of Hertfordshire and Dstl Porton Down in the UK, ASAS is an optoelectronic technology using elastic scattering of laser light to determine particle size, shape and concentration. Scattered light is detected by four photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), three of which provide information on shape in terms of the light scattering profile which defines the particle asymmetry factor A_f.  A spherical particle is by definition symmetrical about all axes passing through its centre and is assigned an A_f of zero. An infinitely long fibre is assigned an A_f of 100. All four PMTs contribute information on the particle size.

This screen shot (click image to expand) shows an Aspect data display for an aerosol sample dominated by spherical particles.

Specifications are subject to change.   E.&O.E

OPTIONAL FLUORESCENCE MEASUREMENTS

The Aerosol Fluorescence Sensor can be incorporated with the Aspect to allow for simultaneous fluorescence measurements on the aerosol. Please click Aerosol Fluorescence Sensor to read more about this instrument.