An EP-SAW for measurements of particulate matter in ambient air

In this article we demonstrate the feasibility of combining the two proven technologies of electrostatic precipitators (EP) and surface acoustic wave devices (SAW) for real time applications in particulate monitoring. A plastic cyclone (Higgins–Dewell), used for personal respirable dust sampling, has been modified to include an ionizing source and a Rayleigh SAW device with biased collection plate in place of the usual filter. The flow rate of the air through the cyclone allows size selectivity of particulate matter and we present data showing the effect of the collection plate bias of the collection efficiency.