Pressure Drop of Respirable Dust Cyclone Samplers

The measure of volumetric flow rate is utilized to calculate sampling volume and airborne concentration in integrated air sampling. Consequently, calibration of the sampling train to verify volumetric flow rate is critical. The relation between sampler pressure drop and volumetric flow rate was studied in support of using the former rather than the latter for the calibration of sampling trains. Four types of respirable cyclones, two filter brands with membrane samples of the same and different lots of production, and two personal pump types were considered as components of the sampling trains under consideration.  Volumetric flow rate and pressure drop were measured under controlled conditions in a cylindrical jar designed for these determinations. For all the configurations considered, the relation between sampler pressure drop and standard volumetric flow rate was linear.  Intra-sample selection of cyclones of the same type and pump type did not create significant differences in sampler pressure drop.  Filter selection, regardless of brand or production lot, did create linear response functions that had statistically different slopes and intercepts. When grouped by cyclone type and filter brand, the sampler pressure drop at the flow rate recommended by the cyclone’s manufacturers showed variability that was not normally distributed. The recommended central tendency estimate of pressure drop is the median value, with point estimates that should be specific to a cyclone type / filter brand combination.