Method and Device for Enlargement of Aerosol Particles

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

The invention provides a method and device for enlarging aerosol particles by exposing them to a supersaturated vapor made from non-toxic, non-flammable substances such as sulfoxides (e.g., dimethyl sulfoxide) or sulfones (e.g., dimethyl sulfone). This enables the optical detection of extremely small particles by growing them to a detectable size, with similar performance to the traditional use of butanol but without its safety and handling drawbacks.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Air quality monitoring in clean rooms, industrial, or laboratory environments.
• Particle emission measurement and monitoring from vehicles, aircraft, ships, or combustion processes.
• Medical and biological research where detection of nanoparticles is important.
• Aerosol research in atmospheric science, such as sampling from aircraft at high altitude.
• Environmental monitoring for dust, pollution, or nano-sized contaminants.
• Process monitoring and quality assurance in manufacturing or pharmaceutical production.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables safe and easy handling due to use of non-toxic, non-flammable, and environmentally friendly chemicals.
• Eliminates risk of fire and toxic exposure compared to alcohol-based media like butanol.
• Reduces technical complexity; does not require extensive cooling systems for operation, simplifying device design.
• Lower operating costs due to much lower consumption of the working medium (sulfoxide or sulfone).
• Allows reliable detection of ultrafine particles down to a few nanometers, with performance comparable to conventional methods.
• Supports implementations in sensitive environments (e.g., aviation, passenger transport, medical labs) where use of hazardous substances is restricted.
• Flexible integration into existing equipment with minimal modification.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method and to a device for enlarging particles of an aerosol, and to use of an operating medium for production of an oversaturated vapour. In a method of enlarging particles (1) of an aerosol (2), the particles (1) come into contact with an oversaturated vapour (3). The oversaturated vapour (3) is produced using a sulfoxide or a sulfone, for example dimethyl sulfoxide or dimethyl sulfone. These substances are nonflammable, not harmful to health and not hazardous to the environment, and are accordingly easy to handle. No odour nuisance or environmental damage occurs. The same numerical efficiencies for particles are achieved as with butanol, which is conventionally used as operating medium.