Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.


If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

Development of Low-Cost Dust Generation Chamber and Wireless Nephelometers for a Feedlot Dust Study

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  International Symposium on Air Quality and Manure Management for Agriculture Conference Proceedings, 13-16 September 2010, Dallas, Texas  711P0510cd.(doi:10.13031/2013.32655)
Authors:   Scott R Klar, Taek M Kwon, Brent W Auvermann
Keywords:   Aerosols, air pollution, sensors, calibration, dust, concentration, detector, sampling, generation, scattering, vacuum, PM10, nephelometer, DustTrak, wireless, chamber, feedlot, COTS

The development, testing, and calibration of a new dust sensor require a controlled dust generating environment. A low cost, safe, and easily customizable dust generating system that uses only COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) parts was developed as an integral part of a feedlot dust study. The developed system is a dust generation and sampling chamber for testing wireless nephelometers. The system can generate suspended dust/air mixture with a high degree of density variations. The testing sensors are placed inside the sampling chamber from which the measurement data is wirelessly transmitted to a recording console, providing a safe testing environment. This system uses a kitchen blender to generate dust and controls the concentration through an adjustable dust feedline, an intake airflow valve, and vacuum control valve. A shop vacuum controls the airflow rate through the dust chamber and collects the dust onto a filter. The objective of this project was to develop low-cost, miniaturized, wireless nephelometers to study PM10 concentration of a feedlot under various environmental and weather conditions. The apparatus, theory of operation, construction steps, and experimental results of the dust chamber and wireless nephelometers are presented.

(Download PDF)    (Export to EndNotes)