Errors in the Determination of Particle Size Distributions Caused by coincidences in optical particle counters

Abstract When performing particle size analysis by scattered light, coincidences in the measuring volume of optical particle counters not only cause too small a particle concentration to be measured, but also a size distribution to be obtained which is systematically shifted towards coarser particle sizes. It is pointed out in this paper how this shift can be precalculated when the true distribution is given. The results show under which conditions a correction of the measured distribution is indispensable.