Droplet SP2-D User manual

COPYRIGHT © 2017 DROPLET MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES
Single Particle Soot
Photometer (SP2)
Operator Manual
DOC-0171
Revision G-9—Describes the SP2-D
2400 Trade Centre Avenue
Longmont, CO 80503 USA

Operator Manual, Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2)
Form DOC-0171 Rev G-9 II
© 2017 DROPLET MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES
2400 TRADE CENTRE AVENUE
LONGMONT,COLORADO,USA 80503
TEL:[phone]
FAX:[phone]
WWW.DROPLETMEASUREMENT.COM
All rights reserved. No part of this document shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without
written permission from Droplet Measurement Technologies. Although every precaution has been
taken in the preparation of this document, Droplet Measurement Technologies assumes no
responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the
use of the information contained herein.
Information in this document is subject to change without prior notice in order to improve accuracy,
design, and function and does not represent a commitment on the part of the manufacturer.
Information furnished in this manual is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, no
responsibility is assumed for its use, or any infringements of patents or other rights of third parties,
which may result from its use.
Trademark Information
All Droplet Measurement Technologies product names and the Droplet Measurement Technologies
logo are trademarks of Droplet Measurement Technologies.
All other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
owners.
Warranty
The seller warrants that the equipment supplied will be free from defects in material and
workmanship for a period of one year from the confirmed date of purchase of the original
buyer. Service procedures and repairs are warrantied for 90 days. The equipment owner will
pay for shipping to DMT, while DMT covers the return shipping expense.
Consumable components, such as tubing, filters, pump diaphragms, and Nafion humidifiers and
dehumidifiers are not covered by this warranty.

Operator Manual, Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2)
Form DOC-0171 Rev G-9 III
© 2017 DROPLET MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES
Laser Safety
The SP2-D is a Class I Laser Product. STRICT OBSERVANCE OF THE FOLLOWING WARNING LABELS
IS ADVISED.
The following label appears on the back panel of the SP2:
The following laser safety label is located on the exterior of the laser frame:
The following laser safety label appears next to the interlock switches:
Laser Characteristics
Pump Laser
Main Laser
Wavelength
808 nm
1064 nm
Maximum power
4 W
.4 W

Operator Manual, Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2)
Form DOC-0171 Rev G-9 IV
© 2017 DROPLET MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES
Additional Instrument Labels:
The following identification label appears on the back panel of the SP2:
The following label appears on the back panel of the instrument:
Warning: If not properly grounded, the instrument can cause an electrical shock.
Use a three-conductor cord and a plug appropriate for the location in which the instrument will be
used. Connect the plug to a properly grounded receptacle.
CAUTION: Use of control or adjustments or performance of procedures other than specified in this
manual may result in hazardous radiation exposure.

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CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 7
1.1 Specifications......................................................................................................................... 7
1.2 Electrical Specifications ......................................................................................................... 9
1.3 Physical Specifications........................................................................................................... 9
1.4 Operating Limits .................................................................................................................... 9
2.0 Theory of Operation ........................................................................................ 10
2.1 Laser Characteristics............................................................................................................ 12
2.2Optical Detectors.................................................................................................................13
2.3 Control Board Inputs ........................................................................................................... 14
3.0 Unpacking and Setup....................................................................................... 14
3.1 Unpacking............................................................................................................................ 14
3.2 Set Up ..................................................................................................................................14
3.3 Turning On the System ........................................................................................................16
3.4 Turning Off the System........................................................................................................ 22
4.0 Flow System .................................................................................................... 22
5.0 Typical Operating Parameters.......................................................................... 23
6.0 Laser Safety Interlocks..................................................................................... 23
7.0 Routine Maintenance ...................................................................................... 25
7.1 SP2-D: Procedure to Calibrate the Laminar Flow Element.................................................. 26
7.2 Procedure for Alignment of the YAG Laser ......................................................................... 26
7.3 Cleaning the Laser Optics ....................................................................................................26
8.0 Calibrating the Instrument with Aerosol Black Carbon ..................................... 27
8.1 Required Equipment............................................................................................................ 27
8.2 Calibration Procedure.......................................................................................................... 27
9.0Troubleshooting .............................................................................................. 28
Appendix A: Revisions to Manual.................................................................................. 29
Appendix B: SP2 YAG Pump Laser Storage and Handling Instructions............................. 30
Storing the SP2 YAG Pump Laser..................................................................................................... 30
Handling the SP2 YAG Laser ............................................................................................................31
Appendix C: Configuring and Testing the SP2’s Four Analog Input Channels .................. 32
Configuration................................................................................................................................... 32
Testing the Input Voltages...............................................................................................................34
Appendix D: Plumbing Diagram..................................................................................... 35
Appendix E: SP2-D System Schematic............................................................................ 35

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Figures
Figure 1: Front View of the SP2 Analyzer ....................................................................... 10
Figure 2: Rear View of the SP2 Analyzer Chassis ............................................................ 11
Figure 3: Schematic Diagram of the YAG Laser in the SP2............................................... 12
Figure 4: SP2 Optical Diagram ....................................................................................... 13
Figure 5: Connecting SP2 and SP2 Pump Exhaust Valves ................................................ 14
Figure 6: Connecting SP2 Purge Valve to Drierite Cartridge............................................ 15
Figure 7: Connecting SP2 Pump Purge Port to Drierite Cartridge .................................... 15
Figure 8: Connecting the SP2 Purge Valve to the SP2 Pump Purge Port .......................... 16
Figure 9: Verifying the Config File on the Config Tab...................................................... 17
Figure 10: Loading a New Configuration File.................................................................. 18
Figure 11: Sample Pump Power Switch.......................................................................... 19
Figure 12: Sample Flow Stabilizing................................................................................. 19
Figure 13: Turning on the Laser from the Control Tab .................................................... 20
Figure 14: Verifying Particle Response........................................................................... 21
Figure 15: Turning the Laser Off .................................................................................... 22
Figure 16: SP2 Key in the Locked (left) and Unlocked (right) Positions............................ 24
Figure 17: Laser Interlocks (Circled in Lower Left and Upper Right of SP2)...................... 24
Figure 18: Interlock Jumper........................................................................................... 25
Figure 19: Schematic Diagram for SP2 Calibration with DMA ......................................... 27
Figure 20: SP2 Pump Laser in Protective Box ................................................................. 30
Figure 21: Shorting Plug Detached (left) and Attached (right) to Power Connector......... 31
Figure 22: Protective Cap and SMA Fiber Connector (above); Cap Attached to Connector
(below) .................................................................................................................. 31
Figure 23: Configuring Analog Input (AI) Channels in the SP2-D ..................................... 33
Figure 24: Control Tab Display of Newly Added AI Channels .......................................... 34

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1.0 Introduction
The SP2 directly measures the black carbon, known as soot, in individual aerosol particles. Its high
sensitivity, fast response, and specificity to elemental carbon make it the premier instrument for the
following tasks:
•Characterizing pollution sources
•Characterizing soot in snow, ice or water
•Calibrating Aethalometers
•Documenting thin, atmospheric layers of contamination
This manual describes revision D of the instrument.
1.1 Specifications
Measured Parameters
Single-particle laser incandescence Single-particle light
scattering
Auxiliary Parameters
Temperature, Pressure
Derived Parameters
•
BC mass distribution as function of particle diameter
•Particle number distribution as a function of particle
size
Maximum Data Acquisition Rate
•25,000 particles/second
•0 – 12,500 particles/cm3at standard flow rate of 120
volumetric cm3/minute
(Concentrations can basically increase until particles
become coincident)
Particle Size Range
•Scattering signal: 200 – 400 nm diameter (this range
encompasses the accumulation mode of most
particles, i.e. range where most mass is found)
•Incandescent signal: depends on particle density, but
70 – 500 nm mass-equivalent diameter assuming a
black carbon density of 1.8 g/cm3
Aerosol Medium
Air, 0 - 40 °C (32 - 104°F)
Lasers
•Nd:YAG Laser: 1064 nm, 3 MW/cm2 intracavity
circulating power
•Pump Laser: 808 nm, 4 W
The pump laser can be controlled through the SP2
software or the touch-screen on the SP2 front panel.
Sample Flow
30 – 180 volumetric cm3/minute (typically 120)

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Flow Control
Electronic flow control with a laminar flow element (LFE)
and a solenoid valve
Pump
Two single-head diaphragm pumps contained in a box
Minimum Black Carbon Detection
Limit
•10 ng/m
3
•0.3 fg/particle
Routine Maintenance
Weekly:
•Refreshing or replacing the desiccant in the drying
cartridge on the purge line
•Conducting PSL size check to monitor laser power
Monthly and around field campaigns:
•Conducting zero check with high-efficiency filtered air
sample
Annually (more frequently for high-BC environments):
•Checking calibration of the laminar flow element on
the sample inlet
Recommended Service
Annual cleaning and calibration at DMT service facility
Front Panel Display
System power switch, 1/8 in. Swagelok® sample inlet, 2
USB 2.0 ports, laser ON/OFF indicator light
Rear Panel Connections
Keyboard port, mouse port, VGA and HDMI monitor
ports, 2 Ethernet ports, 2 RS-232 communications ports,
4 USB 2.0 ports, 4 analog inputs, ¼ in. Swagelok® purge
line, ¼ in. Swagelok® exhaust line, SATA hard drive
connection, exhaust vents, system and pump power
connections.
Computer System
On-board Intel®Core™ i7 CPU
8 GB RAM, 750 GB hard drive for data storage, NI PCI-
6133 DAQ interface card, NI PCI-6259 housekeeping
data card.
User interface via standard keyboard, mouse, and 19”
monitor (included)
Software
•SP2 Executable program written in LabVIEW
•PAPI program written in Igor
Data Storage Capacity
Depends on number of particles; at a concentration of
1,000 #/cm3and a standard flow rate of 120 volumetric
cm3/minute, the SP2 computer has the capacity to store
56 hours of continuous data
Communications Output
Gigabyte Ethernet interfaced through an Intel®
PC82573V PCIe GbE controller

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1.2 Electrical Specifications
Voltage:
SP2: Universal Voltage (100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz)
Power Consumption:
•300 W for instrument
•
30 W for pump
1.3 Physical Specifications
Weight:
26.1 kg for SP2 alone
3.4 kg for pump
3 kg for monitor
Dimensions:
SP2: 48 cm W x 61 cm L x 26 cm H
Pump: 20 cm W x 25 cm L x 10 cm H
Monitor: 37 cm W x 22 cm L x 39 cm H
Shipping Container:
Durable Atlas Case Corporation ATA Transit Case that
conforms to the Air Transport Association’s Specification
300 Category 1 standards
Other:
Suitable for airborne mounting in the aircraft cabin
1.4 Operating Limits
Temperature:
0 to +40 °C (32 – 104 °F)
Altitude:
0-40,000 ft
Humidity:
0 - 100% (non-condensing)

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2.0 Theory of Operation
The Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) utilizes the high optical power available intra-cavity from
an Nd:YAG laser. Light-absorbing particles, mainly black or elemental carbon in atmospheric
measurements, absorb energy and are heated to the point of incandescence. The energy emitted in
this incandescence is measured, and a quantitative determination of the black carbon mass of the
particle is made.1This mass measurement is independent of the particle mixing state, and hence
the SP2 is a reliable measure of the black carbon mass concentration. Since the SP2 detects single
particles, the SP2 can also measure the black carbon number concentration.
All particles scatter light, regardless of whether or not they absorb light. A scattering detector is
included in the SP2, which detects single particle scattering at 1064 nm, and the scattering signal
can be used to indicate the black carbon mixing state at the single-particle level. The scattering
detector can also be used to detect non-BC-containing aerosol number and mass concentrations.
The SP2 measures the light scattering and/or incandescence of each particle. The full scattering
and/or incandescence response of each particle is completely digitized for detailed analysis.
Figure 1: Front View of the SP2 Analyzer
1Basic details on the theory of this technique are given by Stephens et al. (2003). Details on the
SP2 and application to atmospheric measurements are given by Schwarz et al. (2006).
Additional work on the theory of the measurements has been published by Moteki and Kondo
(2006).