Optical Modeling of Sea Salt Aerosols Using in situ Measured Size Distributions and the Impact of Larger Size Particles

Sea salt aerosols play a critical role in regulating the global climate through their interactions with solar radiation.The size distribution of these particles is crucial in determining their bulk optical properties.In this study,we analyzed in situ measured size distributions of sea salt aerosols from four field campaigns and used multi-mode lognormal size distributions to fit the data.We employed super-spheroids and coated super-spheroids to account for the particles’non-sphericity,inhomogeneity,and hysteresis effect during the deliquescence and crystallization processes.To compute the singlescattering properties of sea salt aerosols,we used the state-of-the-art invariant imbedding T-matrix method,which allows us to obtain accurate optical properties for sea salt aerosols with a maximum volume-equivalent diameter of 12μm at a wavelength of 532 nm.Our results demonstrated that the particle models developed in this study were successful in replicating both the measured depolarization and lidar ratios at various relative humidity(RH)levels.Importantly,we observed that large-size particles with diameters larger than 4μm had a substantial impact on the optical properties of sea salt aerosols,which has not been accounted for in previous studies.Specifically,excluding particles with diameters larger than 4μm led to underestimating the scattering and backscattering coefficients by 27%−38%and 43%−60%,respectively,for the ACE-Asia field campaign.Additionally,the depolarization ratios were underestimated by 0.15 within the 50%−70%RH range.These findings emphasize the necessity of considering large particle sizes for optical modeling of sea salt aerosols.

Particle size spatial distribution in landslide dams

The particle composition and spatial distribution of landslide-induced dam bodies are critical geotechnical parameters for studying the hazards of dam-break floods.However,current research often neglects the influence of the initial particle composition and spatial distribution of the landslide on the particle composition and spatial distribution of the landslide dam.This study investigated the impact of initial particle size distribution,volume,and sliding length on the energy and velocity changes of characteristic particles during the sliding process and the spatial distribution of particle sizes in the landslide dam body.Numerical simulations and physical models were employed to examine the effects of sequential gradient arrangements(where particle sizes decrease from top to bottom)and four other different initial particle arrangements on the energy and velocity changes of particles and the spatial distribution of particle sizes in the dam body.The study reveals the characteristics of translational and rotational energy of different particles and the laws of mechanical energy conversion,obtaining the spatial distribution patterns of particle sizes in landslide-induced dams.The results show that under the sequential gradient arrangement,the energy dissipation of the landslide movement is lower,with larger particles mainly distributed at the distal end and smaller particles at the proximal end of the landslide dam.In contrast,under the reverse gradient arrangement,the energy dissipation of the landslide movement is higher,and the distribution pattern of the dam particles is opposite to that of the sequential gradient arrangement.For the other arrangement modes,the spatial distribution of dam particles falls between the aforementioned two.There is a positive correlation between particle size and translational kinetic energy within the particle flow during the landslide process,and rotational motion increases energy dissipation.Under constant slope conditions,sliding length does not affect the movement pattern of the particle flow or the spatial distribution of particles in the dam body.The findings of this study provide a scientific basis for the accurate simulation and prediction of dam-break flood processes.

Extended wet sieving method for determination of complete particle size distribution of general soils

The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture?0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution(PSD)of gravel and sand in general soil.This paper extends the traditional method and presents an extended wet sieving method.The extended method uses both the steel sieves and the nylon filter cloth sieves.The apertures of the cloth sieves are smaller than 0.063 mm and equal 0.048 mm,0.038 mm,0.014 mm,0.012 mm,0.0063 mm,0.004 mm,0.003 mm,0.002 mm,and 0.001 mm,respectively.The extended method uses five steps to separate the general soil into many material sub-groups of gravel,sand,silt and clay with known particle size ranges.The complete PSD of the general soil is then calculated from the dry masses of the individual material sub-groups.The extended method is demonstrated with a general soil of completely decomposed granite(CDG)in Hong Kong,China.The silt and clay materials with different particle size ranges are further examined,checked and verified using stereomicroscopic observation,physical and chemical property tests.The results further confirm the correctness of the extended wet sieving method.

Seasonal Variations of Number Size Distributions and Mass Concentrations of Atmospheric Particles in Beijing

Particle number and mass concentrations were measured in Beijing during the winter and summer periods in 2003, together with some other parameters including black carbon (BC) and meteorological conditions. Particle mass concentrations exhibited low seasonality, and the ratio of PM2.5/PM10 in winter was higher than that in summer. Particle number size distribution (PSD) was characterized by four modes and exhibited low seasonality. BC was well correlated with the number and mass concentrations of accumulation and coarse particles, indicating these size particles are related to anthropogenic activities. Particle mass and number concentrations (except ultra-fine and nucleation particles) followed well the trends of BC concentration for the majority of the day, indicating that most particles were associated with primary emissions. The diurnal number distributions of accumulation and coarse mode particles were characterized by two peaks.

SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND BEHAVIOUR OF VC PARTICLES IN FERRITIC NODULAR CAST IRON

Size distribution and precipitation of VC particles in ferritic nodular cast iron have been examined by techniques of ultrasonic screening,small angle X-ray scattering and chemical dissolution.The VC particles are sized over a wide range.The superfine ones, dispersed in the ferritic matrix,are the majority.A saturated dispersion with ultrafine VC particles may be approached as the V content increasing in the iron.Thi5 seems to play an important role in the precipitation strengthening for ferritic nodular cast iron.

Sediment Particle Size Distribution and Its Environmental Significance in Lake Erhai, Yunnan Province

A closed or semi\|closed plateau lake, whose sediment records can provide us with plenty of fine and high resolution information, is a sensitive indicator of climatic and environmental changes. During the reconstruction of various short\|time\|scale climatic and environmental changes, the geochemical records in plateau\|lake sediments are superior to other natural files. Based on fine dissection of the vertical profile of sediment particle sizes, this paper reveals the quasi\|periodical changes of sediment particle sizes, which indicates the quasi\|periodical fluctuations of the regional climate. A synthetic analysis of multiple indexes shows that sediment particle size is a more sensitive and more effective index of climatic and environmental changes than other geochemical indexes. High content of >20 μm sediment particles and low content of 2-10 μm sediment particles indicate a warm\|dry climate and conversely a cold\|humid climate, and their ratio can be used as an effective index of climatic changes. The basic climate succession in the region of Lake Erhai is characterized as being alternatively warm\|dry and cold\|humid and it has been developing into a warm\|dry climate as a whole. There exist at least 2 time\|scale quasi\|periodical fluctuations of the regional climate in Lake Erhai. At present, the region of Lake Erhai is at the end of the warm\|dry period and at the beginning of a cold\|humid period, so the temperature will go down and the water level will rise.

Particle Size Distribution of Kaolinite and Halloysite in Weathering Products of Granite and Its Implications for Pedogenesis

The kaolins collected from a profile of weathered granite at Yichun County, Jiangxi Province have been subjected to particle size fractionation by the conventional sedimentation method and examined by XRD,SEM and TEM. All of them exhibit a mixture phase of poorly crystallized kaolinites and halloysites (0.7 nm) occurring as the main clay minerals. Electron micrographs reveal that plate kaolinites are the principal constitution in the coarse fraction, and more tubular and curled halloysite (0.7 nm) in the fine fraction. Both of them show normal probability curves in particle size distributions. The ratios of kaolinite and halloysite (0.7 nm) in different size fractions are examined by X-ray diffraction with a series of X-ray patterns characterized by three main peaks at d(001), d(002) and d(020),varying in intensity. Therefore, an index Qhm, expressed as (Id(001) + Id(002))/(2×Id(020)), is designed to indicate relative ratios of the two clay minerals in a number of mixture phases. Because kaolinite and halloysite (0.7nm) commonly occurred, respectively, in low and medium leaching microenvironment, the index Qhm can be used to indicate weathering and pedogenic.conditions of a weathering crust.

Computational study of bubble coalescence/break-up behaviors and bubble size distribution in a 3-D pressurized bubbling gas-solid fluidized bed of Geldart A particles

A computational study was carried out on bubble dynamic behaviors and bubble size distributions in a pressurized lab-scale gas-solid fluidized bed of Geldart A particles.High-resolution 3-D numerical simulations were performed using the two-fluid model based on the kinetic theory of granular flow.A finegrid,which is in the range of 3–4 particle diameters,was utilized in order to capture bubble structures explicitly without breaking down the continuum assumption for the solid phase.A novel bubble tracking scheme was developed in combination with a 3-D detection and tracking algorithm(MS3 DATA)and applied to detect the bubble statistics,such as bubble size,location in each time frame and relative position between two adjacent time frames,from numerical simulations.The spatial coordinates and corresponding void fraction data were sampled at 100 Hz for data analyzing.The bubble coalescence/break-up frequencies and the daughter bubble size distribution were evaluated by using the new bubble tracking algorithm.The results showed that the bubble size distributed non-uniformly over cross-sections in the bed.The equilibrium bubble diameter due to bubble break-up and coalescence dynamics can be obtained,and the bubble rise velocity follows Davidson’s correlation closely.Good agreements were obtained between the computed results and that predicted by using the bubble break-up model proposed in our previous work.The computational bubble tracking method showed the potential of analyzing bubble motions and the coalescence and break-up characteristics based on time series data sets of void fraction maps obtained numerically and experimentally.

Measuring particle size distribution and total number in the activation chamber of desulfurization system by PIV

Application of particle image velocity (PIV) techniques for measuringparticle size distribution and total number in an activation chamber of desulfurization system isintroduced. Watersheld algorithm is used to choose the suitable initial gray level threshold whichis used to change the gray level images taken by PIV to black and white ones, then every particle inan image is isolated totally. For every isolating particle, its contour is tracked by the edgeenhancement filter function and kept by Freeman s chain code. Based on a set of particle s chincode, its size and size distribution are calculated and sorted. Finally, the experimental data ofcalcium particles and water drops, separately injected into the activation chamber, and the erroranalysis of data are given out.

Gold/Mg-Al mixed oxides catalysts for oxidative esterification of methacrolein:Effects of support size and composition on gold loading

Gold catalysts supported on Mg-Al mixed oxides for oxidative esterification of methacrolein are prepared by impregnation.Effects of the support particle size,concentration of HAuCl4 solution and Mg/Al ratio on gold loading and catalytic properties are investigated.The catalysts are characterized by CO_(2)-TPD,EDS,XPS,STEM and XRD techniques.Catalysts with smaller support particle size show more uniform gold distribution and higher gold dispersion,resulting in a higher catalytic performance,and the uniformity of gold and the activity of the catalysts with larger support particle size can be improved by decreasing the concentration of HAuCl4 solution.The Mg/Al molar ratio has significant effect on the uniformity of gold and the activity of the catalyst,and the optimum Mg/Al molar ratio is 0.1–0.2.This study underlines the importance of engineering support particle size,concentration of HAuCl4 solution and density of adsorption sites for efficient gold loading on support by impregnation.

Size distribution and diffuse pollution impacts of PAHs in street dust in urban streams in the Yangtze River Delta

Particles of dust washed off streets by stormwater are an important pathway of polyaromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） into urban streams. This article presented a comprehensive assessment of the size distribution of PAHs in street dust particles, the potential risks of the particles in urban streams, and the sources and sinks of PAHs in the stream network. This assessment was based on measurements of 16 PAHs from the USEPA priority list in street dust particles and river sediments in Xincheng, China. The content of total PAHs ranged from 1629 to 8986 Dg/kg in street dust particles, where smaller particles have a higher concentrations. Approximately 55% of the total PAHs were associated with particles less than 250 μm which accounted for 40% of the total mass of street dust. The PAH quantities increased from 2.41 to 46.86 μg/m2 in the sequence of new residential, rising through main roads, old town residential, commercial and industrial areas. The sediments in stream reaches in town were found to be sinks for street dust particle PAHs. The research findings suggested that particle size, land use and the hydrological conditions in the stream network were the factors which most influenced the total loads of PAH in the receiving water bodies.

Particle size distribution and property of bacteria attached to carbon fines in drinking water treatment

The quantitative change and size distribution of particles in the effluents from a sand filter and a granular activated carbon （GAC） filter in a drinking water treatment plant were investigated. The average total concentration of particles in the sand filter effluent during a filter cycle was 148 particles/mL, 27 of which were larger than 2 μm in size. The concentration in the GAC effluent （561 particles/mL） was significantly greater than that in the sand filter effluent. The concentration of particles larger than 2 μm in the GAC filter effluent reached 201 particles/mL, with the amount of particles with sizes between 2 μm and 15 μm increasing. The most probable number （MPN） of carbon fines reached 43 unit/L after six hours and fines between 0.45 μm and 8.0 μm accounted for more than 50%. The total concentration of outflowing bacteria in the GAC filter effluent, 350 CFU （colony-forming units） /mL, was greater than that in the sand filter effluent, 210 CFU/mL. The desorbed bacteria concentration reached an average of 310 CFU/mg fines. The disinfection efficiency of desorbed bacteria was lower than 40% with 1.5 mg/L of chlorine. The disinfection effect showed that the inactivation rate with 2.0 mg/L of chloramine （90%） was higher than that with chlorine （70%）. Experimental results indicated that the high particle concentration in raw water and sedimentation effluent led to high levels of outflowing particles in the sand filter effluent. The activated carbon fines in the effluent accounted for a small proportion of the total particle amount, but the existing bacteria attached to carbon fines may influence the drinking water safety. The disinfection efficiency of desorbed bacteria was lower than that of free bacteria with chlorine, and the disinfection effect on bacteria attached to carbon fines with chloramine was better than that with only chlorine.

Study on Size Distributions of Airborne Particles by Aircraft Observation in Spring over Eastern Coastal Areas of China

The authors studied the size distributions of particles at an altitude of 2000 m by aircraft observation over eastern costal areas of China from Zhuhai, Guangdong to Dalian, Liaoning (0.47-30 μm, 57 channels, including number concentration distribution, surface area concentration distribution and mass concentration distribution). In these cities, the average daily concentrations of PM10 are very high. They are among the most heavily polluted cities in China. The main pollution sources are anthropogenic activities such as wood, coal and oil burning. The observed size distributions show a broad spectrum and unique multi-peak characteristics, indicating no significant impacts of individual sources from urban areas. These results are far different from the distribution type at ground level. It may reflect the comprehensive effect of the regional pollution characteristics. Monitoring results over big cities could to some extent reflect their pollution characteristics.

Ultrasonic attenuation model for measuring particle size and inverse calculation of particle size distribution in mineral slurries

Based on various ultrasonic loss mechanisms, the formula of the cumulative mass percentage of minerals with different particle sizes was given, with which the particle size distribution was integrated into an ultrasonic attenuation model. And then the correlations between the ultrasonic attenuation and the pulp density, and the particle size were obtained. The derived model was combined with the experiment and the analysis of experimental data to determine the inverse model relating ultrasonic attenuation coefficient with size distribution. Finally, an optimization method of inverse parameter, genetic algorithm was applied for particle size distribution. The results of inverse calculation show that the precision of measurement was high.

Stability of the Dividing Distribution Function Method for ParticleSize Distribution Analysis in Small Angle X－Ray Scattering

The Dividing Distribution Function (DDF) method is one of the methods by which the particle size distribution of ultrafine powder can be evaluated from its small angle X-ray scattering data. In this paper, the stability of the solution obtained from DDF method has been investigated through optimizing the coefficient matrix, introducing a damping factor and a least square treatment. All calculations were accomplished with a microcomputer. It was shown that the average deviations of the size distribution obtained are not larger than the assigned random errors to the scattering intensities as long as the corresponding requirements are satisfied.

Fluidization Characteristics of Silicon Particles with a Wide Size Distribution

Fluidization characteristics of silicon particle system are studied by the pressure fluctuation method.The existence of fine particles in the system can improve fluidization. Silicon particles with a wide size distribution,preferably with some fines, behave as Group A particles according to Geldart classification, although the system belongs to Group B actually. The system is also approved to be suitable for organochlorosilane monomer production using a fluidized bed reactor. Experimental data obtained in this work are important for the design and operation of commercial fluidized bed reactors for the production of organochlorosilane monomers.

Multifractal characteristics and spatial variability of soil particle-size distribution in different land use patterns in a small catchment of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region,China

Characterizing soil particle-size distribution is a key measure towards soil property.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the multifractal characteristics of soil particle-size distribution among different land-use from a purple soil catchment and to generalize the spatial variation trend of multifractal parameters across the catchment.A total of 84 soil samples were collected from four kinds of land use patterns(dry land,orchard,paddy,and forest)in an agricultural catchment in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region,China.The multifractal analysis method was applied to quantitatively characterize the soil particle size distribution.Six soil particle size distribution(PSD)multifractal parameters(D(0),D(1),D(2),(35)a(q),(35)f[a(q)],α(0))were computed.Additionally,a geostatistical analysis was employed to reveal the spatial differentiation and map the spatial distribution of these parameters.Evident multifractal characteristics were found.The trend of generalized dimension spectrum of four land use patterns was basically consistent with the range of 0.8 to 2.0.However,orchard showed the largest monotonic decline,while the forest demonstrated the smallest decrease.D(0)of the four land use patterns were ranked as:dry land<orchard<forest<paddy,the order of D(1)was:dry land<paddy<orchard<forest,D(2)presented a rand-size relationship as dry land<forest<paddy<orchard.Furthermore,all land-use patterns presented asΔf[α(q)]<0.The rand-size relationship ofα(0)was same as D(0).The best-fitting model for D(0),D(1),D(2)andΔf[α(q)]was spherical model,forΔα(q)was gaussian model,and forα(0)was exponential model with structure variance ratio was 1.03%,49.83%,0.84%,1.48%,22.20%and 10.60%,respectively.The results showed that soil particles of each land use pattern were distributed unevenly.The multifractal parameters under different land use have significant differences,except forΔα(q).Differences in the composition of soil particles lead to differences in the multifractal properties even though they belong to the same soil texture.Farming behavior may refine particles and enhance the heterogeneity of soil particle distribution.Our results provide an effective reference for quantifying the impact of human activities on soil system in the Three Gorges Reservoir region.

Resolution Increase and Noise Removal in Particle Size Distribution Measurement with Shifrin Transform

Based on the laser diffraction and Shifrin transform,the measurement method of particle size distribution has been improved extensively.While in real measurements,some noise peaks exist in the inversion data and are easily to be misread as particle distribution peaks.The improved method used a truncation function as a filter is hard to distinguish adjacent peaks.Here,by introducing the bimodal resolution criterion,the filter function is optimized,and to a quasi truncation function with the optimized filter function is studied to achieve optimal bimodal resolution and to remove noise peaks.This new quasi truncation function fits multimode distribution very well.By combining the quasi truncation function with Shifrin transform,noise peaks are removed well and the adjacent peaks are distinguished clearly.Finally,laser diffraction experiments are conducted and the particle size distribution is analyzed by adoping the method.The results show that the quasi truncation function has better bimodal resolution than the truncation function.Generally,by combining the quasi truncation function with the Shifrin transform,in particle size distribution measurements with laser diffraction,the bimodal resolution is greatly increased and the noise is removed well.And the results can restore the original distribution perfectly.Therefore,the new method with combination of the quasi truncation function and the Shifrin transform provides a feasible and effective way to measure the multimode particle size distribution by laser diffraction.

Size Distribution of Particles Emitted from Liquefied Natural Gas Fueled Engine

The results of measurements conducted to determine the number and mass concentration of particles emitted from the liquefied natural gas （LNG） fueled spark ignition engines are presented. Particle size distributions were measured at different speeds, different loads and ESC cycles. The nanoparticles with diameter smaller than 39 nm, measured by the electrical low-pressure impactor （ELPI）, are dominant in number con- centration that is nearly 92.7 % of the total number of the emitted particles at the peak point. As for the mass of emission particle, it is shown that the mass of the particles greater than 1.2μm is more than 65 % that of the emitted particles.

Particle Size Distribution,Powder Agglomerates and Their Effects on Sinterability of Ultrafine Alumina Powders

An intensive study of the particle size distribution of four commercial ultrafine alumina powders to obtain information about the powder agglomeration and relate them to the compactibility and the sinterability has been made.